Earless Monitor Lizard Proposed for U.S. Endangered Species Protections

Strategic Insights -

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed listing the earless monitor lizard as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act following a 2022 petition from the Center for Biological Diversity. This move seeks to ban U.S. imports, exports, and sales of wild-caught earless monitors, but would still allow trade in captive-bred species. The earless monitor lizard, known for its unique appearance and translucent eyelids, is endemic to Borneo in Southeast Asia and is extremely rare, with only five known subpopulations.

Key Takeaways:

  • The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed listing the earless monitor lizard as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act after a 2022 petition from the Center for Biological Diversity.
  • The proposed rule would ban imports of wild-caught earless monitor lizards to the United States but would allow imports and sales of captive-bred specimens.
  • Indonesia is the primary source country for the animals and allows export of captive-bred specimens, but has rarely enforced wildlife conservation laws.
  • The pet trade is a primary threat for these lizards, with collection from the wild for illegal trade contributing to the species' decline.
  • The International Union for Conservation of Nature assessed earless monitor lizards as endangered in 2021, concluding that they face a very high risk of extinction in the wild.
  • The pet trade has been connected to declines and local extinctions of numerous reptile species in the wild, with over 1,800 of the world's reptile species threatened with extinction.
  • The U.S. exotic pet trade is among the largest in the world, impacting hundreds of millions of animals each year, with reptiles being a common species in the global wildlife trade.

Statistics:

  • Five known subpopulations of earless monitor lizards remain, believe to be small and declining.
  • Over 4,000 reptile species have been traded globally since 2000.
  • The U.S. exotic pet trade impacts hundreds of millions of animals each year.
  • More than 1,800 reptile species are threatened with extinction.
  • Earless monitor lizards have been banned from wild-caught exports in their range countries of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei for four decades.

Sources:

  • Center for Biological Diversity
  • U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
  • International Union for Conservation of Nature
  • Biological Diversity Organization (August 13, 2025) Earless Monitor Lizard Proposed for U.S. Endangered Species Protections