The Asian water monitor is widely distributed from India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Thailand, Cambodia,
Laos, Vietnam, the Chinese Guangxi and Hainan provinces, Malaysia, Singapore to the Sunda islands Sumatra, Java, Bali,
Borneo and Sulawesi. It inhabits primarily lowland freshwater and brackish wetlands. It has been recorded up to an
elevation of 1,800 m (5,900 ft).The Asian water monitor is semiaquatic and opportunistic; it inhabits a variety of
natural habitats though predominantly resides in primary forests and mangrove swamps. It has been noted that it is not
deterred from living in areas near human civilization. In fact, it has been known to adapt and thrive in agricultural
areas as well as cities with canal systems, such as in Sri Lanka, where they are not hunted or persecuted. Habitats
that are considered to be most important are mangrove vegetation, swamps, wetlands, and elevations below 1,000 m
(3,300 ft). It does not thrive in habitats with extensive loss of natural vegetation and aquatic resources.
In dominantly aquatic habitats, their semiaquatic behavior is considered to provide a measure of safety from
predators. This along with their versatile diet is said to contribute to their plasticity, or ecological
adaptability. When hunted by predators such as the king cobra (Ophiophagus hannah) they will climb trees using their
powerful legs and claws. If this evasion is not enough to escape danger, they have also been known to jump from
trees into streams for safety, a tactic similar to that of the green iguana (Iguana iguana).