First described by François Marie Daudin in 1802,[2] V. albigularis had been classified as a subspecies of V. exanthematicus,[5] but has since been declared a distinct species, based on differences in hemipenal morphology.

[7][8][9] Large mature males can attain weights of 15 to 17 kg (33 to 37 lb), which would make it slightly smaller than the Nile monitor by maximum size.

[11] V. albigularis is found in a variety of arid habitats, including steppes, grasslands and savanna, and may frequent rock kopje (inselbergs) formations that dot the landscape.

[11] V. albigularis are generalists, feeding opportunistically on a broad variety of prey in the wild, such as other lizards, amphibians, birds, snakes, tortoises, eggs and small mammals.

They are not averse to occasionally scavenging the corpses of vertebrate prey, even those as large as vervet monkeys, which are sometimes torn to pieces by "death rolling" like a crocodilian prior to consumption.

[19][20] An intelligent lizard, several specimens of V. albigularis have demonstrated the ability to count as high as six in an experiment conducted by Dr. John Philips at the San Diego Zoo in 1999.