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Hilitai is quite shy and will usually run away quickly if approached. |
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of our more timid native animals here in the Marianas, the Hilitai, can
sometimes be seen in the jungle or in other remote areas. Also known
as the Mangrove Monitor Lizard, adult Hilitais are usually between 75 and
120 centimeters in total length. They have a beautiful skin that
has a pattern of yellow and white spots on a dark green background, and
as a result they are hunted in some places for their leather. Mangrove
Monitors eat insects, snails, crabs, smaller mammals such as rats and mice,
and bird eggs, among other things. They will not usually bite but
will use their extremely sharp claws to free themselves from your grasp.
Some people like to keep them as pets. You can see some very nice
Hilitais at the Saipan Zoo in Tanapag and the Rota Zoo in Teneto Village. |
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Photo
and text by Larry Lee.
Born and raised in rural
Hawaii, Larry grew up spending much of his time outdoors fishing, surfing,
hiking and exploring. After receiving a B.S. degree in Biology from
Oregon State University, he served as a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer in a
rural village in Palawan province in |
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Philippines. Since 1983, he has been living and traveling in the
Asia/Pacific region, working in the Philippines, Hong Kong at a private
resort, teaching English in Japan, and captaining a sportfishing charter
boat in Alaska. He then moved to Saipan with his wife Winnie in 1989.
He worked for two years with the CNMI Dept. of Natural Resources in developing
environmental education programs and then transferred to a local full-service
advertising agency. In 1994, he started his own advertising/design
company specializing in marketing, advertising, graphic design and photography.
He was awarded the CNMI Governor’s Award for Outstanding Visual Artist
in 1997. In September 2000, he began working as the Marketing and
Public Relations Manager at the Northern Marianas College. He has
two children and resides with his family in Papago. |
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