First Captive Breeding of the Blue Tree Monitor Varanus macraei Böhme & Jacobs, 2001 at the Plzen and Cologne Zoos

Abstract. ComprehenThe blue tree monitor, Varanus macraei, was described in 2001 from Batanta Island off Irian Jaya, Indonesian New Guinea. Only scarce information is available on its natural history, and
breeding reports thus far have only been published from private holdings. The first successful breedings
from within zoological gardens, at the Plzen and Cologne Zoos, are herein reported. Altogether, 37
eggs were laid and 24 juveniles have hatched to date. Furthermore, this data are compared with
previously published information on the successful breeding of the species, and for the first time,
proof of an individual recognition system for V. macraei based on neck patterns is provided.