The specific name exanthematicus is derived from the Greek word exanthem /ɛkˈsænθɪm/, meaning an eruption or blister of the skin.

[3] French botanist and zoologist Louis Augustin Guillaume Bosc[4] originally described this lizard as Lacerta exanthematica in reference to the large oval scales on the back of its neck.

[5] Savannah monitors are stoutly built, with relatively short limbs and toes, and skulls and dentition adapted to feed on hard-shelled prey.

Their diet is much more restricted than that of other African monitor lizards, consisting mainly of snails, crabs, scorpions, millipedes, centipedes, orthopterans, mantids, hymenopterans, lepidopterans, beetles and other invertebrates, as well as frogs.

[17] Despite its prevalence in global pet trade, successful captive reproduction is very rare, and a high mortality rate is associated with the species.

[18] Adult specimens frequently become unwanted pets and are reported as being the most common monitor lizards by animal rescue agencies.

[citation needed] Its range extends throughout sub-Saharan Africa from Senegal east to Sudan and south almost to the Congo River and Rift Valley, where they are replaced by V.

[1] Within several West African nations, roadside diners and food stands specialize in “monitor stew”, a hot simmered dish of local vegetables and savannah monitor; it is unclear whether the cooked lizards are hunted or bred specifically for human consumption, or at what rate they are being killed for this purpose.