[8] The black rough-necked monitor can be easily recognized by large pointed scales adorning the necks of adults.

When threatened they prefer to escape, urinate or defecate, puff up their throats or “go necrotic” by closing their eyes as if playing dead.

Mertens (1942) suggested that ants and possibly termites were a significant part of their diet, collected using their tongue.

Auffenberg (1988) supported this by discovering termites, large stick insects, and tree centipedes in specimens from Malaysia.

Further research by Losos and Greene (1988) revealed that the diet of V. rudicollis may include frogs and their eggs, spiders, scorpions, crabs, cockroaches, beetles, and orthopterans.