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Goanna - Flickr - GregTheBusker (cropped)
A goanna is any one of several species of lizard of the genus '' Varanus'' found in Australia and Southeast Asia. Around 70 species of ''Varanus'' are known, 25 of which are found in Australia. This varied group of carnivorous reptiles ranges greatly in size and fills several ecological niches. The goanna features prominently in Aboriginal mythology and Australian folklore. Being predatory lizards, goannas are often quite large with sharp teeth and claws. The largest is the perentie (''V. giganteus''), which can grow over in length. Not all goannas are so large; pygmy goannas may be smaller than the arm of an adult human. The smallest of these, the short-tailed monitor (''V. brevicauda''), reaches only in length. They survive on smaller prey, such as insects and mice. Goannas combine predatory and scavenging behaviours. They prey on any animal they can catch that is small enough to eat whole. They have been blamed by farmers for the death of sheep, though most likely erron ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Iguana
''Iguana'' (, ) is a genus of herbivorous lizards that are native to tropical areas of Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. The genus was first described by Austrian naturalist Josephus Nicolaus Laurenti, J.N. Laurenti in 1768. Two species are placed in the genus: The green iguana, which is widespread throughout its range and a popular pet; and the Lesser Antillean iguana, which is native to the Lesser Antilles. Genetic analysis indicates that the green iguana may comprise a species complex, complex of multiple species, some of which have been recently described, but the Reptile Database considers all of these as subspecies of the green iguana. The word "iguana" is derived from the original Taíno people, Taino name for the species, ''iwana''. In addition to the two species in the genus ''Iguana'', several other related genera in the same family have common names of the species including the word "iguana". The species is a popular quarry for pets, and no ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Short-tailed Monitor
The short-tailed pygmy monitor (''Varanus brevicauda'') is the second smallest living monitor lizard in the world with a maximum length of 25 cm. Distribution The short-tailed pygmy monitor ranges throughout central Australia, from the coast of Western Australia through the interior of the Northern Territory, and from northwestern South Australia to western Queensland. The short-tailed pygmy monitor burrows in compacted, sandy loam and gravel, in areas dominated by spinifex (''Triodia'' spp.). This terrestrial species is secretiveVaranus brevicauda mampam.com and rarely seen active above ground; it is mainly encountered by digging up its . Phys ...
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Black-headed Monitor
The black-headed monitor or black-tailed monitor (''Varanus tristis'') is a relatively small species of monitor lizard Monitor lizards are lizards in the genus ''Varanus,'' the only extant genus in the family Varanidae. They are native to Africa, Asia, and Oceania, and West African Nile monitor, one species is also found in south America as an invasive species. A ...s native to Australia. It is occasionally also called the mournful monitor, freckled monitor (''Varanus tristis orientalis'') or the racehorse monitor, a name it shares with the Gould's monitor due to their exceptional speed. It is placed in the subgenus ''Odatria''. Nomenclature Its specific name, ''tristis'', means "sad", in reference to the completely black colouration of ''V. t. tristis'' populations around Perth. Distribution This is the most widespread monitor species in Australia, occurring throughout the mainland and even on some northern islands such as Magnetic Island. It is only absent in the souther ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mangrove Monitor
The mangrove monitor, mangrove goanna, or Western Pacific monitor lizard (''Varanus indicus'') is a member of the monitor lizard family with a large distribution from northern Australia and New Guinea to the Moluccas and Solomon Islands. It grows to lengths of . It is also known as wbl yb in the Kalam language of Papua New Guinea. Taxonomy The mangrove monitor was first described by the French herpetologist François Marie Daudin in 1802. Daudin's original holotype of a subadult specimen was collected on Ambon, Indonesia, and has since disappeared from the museum in Paris. Daudin's original name for the species was ''Tupinambis indicus'', an appellation it would carry for 100 years until being renamed as a ''Varanus''. The generic name ''Varanus'' is derived from the Arabic word ''waral'' (ورل), which translates to English as "monitor". Its specific name, ''indicus'', is Latin for the country of India, but in this instance it relates to Indonesia or the East Indies, where t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Spiny-tailed Monitor
The spiny-tailed monitor (''Varanus acanthurus''), also known as the Australian spiny-tailed monitor, the ridge-tailed monitor the Ackie dwarf monitor, and Colloquialism, colloquially simply ackie monitor, is an Australia, Australian species of lizard belonging to the genus of monitor lizards (''Varanus''). Description The spiny-tailed monitor, a somewhat small monitor lizard, can attain a total length of up to 70 cm (27 in), although there are unconfirmed reports of wild individuals growing up to 34 inches. The tail is about 1.3-2.3 times as long as the head and body combined. The upper side is a rich, dark brown and painted with bright-yellowish to cream spots, which often enclose a few dark scales. Its tail is round in section and features very spinose scales. There are 70-115 scales around the middle of the body. The spiny-tailed monitor is distinguished from the similar-looking species ''Varanus baritji, V. baritji'' and ''Varanus primordius, V. primordius'' by ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mertens' Water Monitor
Mertens' water monitor (''Varanus mertensi''), often misspelled Mertin's water monitor, is a species of monitor lizard. The species is Endemism, endemic to northern Australia, and is a wide-ranging, actively foraging, opportunistic predator of aquatic and Riparian zone, riparian habitats. It is named after German herpetologist Robert Mertens. Description Mertens' water monitor grows to a total length (including tail) of about . It is dark brown to black above, with many cream to yellow spots. The underparts are paler – white to yellowish – with grey mottling on the throat and blue-grey bars on the chest. The tail is strongly compressed laterally, with a high median dorsal keel, and is about 1.5 times the length of head and body. Amongst all monitor species, including even the water monitors of ''Varanus (Soterosaurus), Soterosaurus'', Mertens' water monitor is morphologically the most well adapted to an aquatic lifestyle, being able to seal its upwards facing nostrils when ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sand Goanna
The sand goanna (''Varanus gouldii)'', also known commonly as Gould's monitor, the racehorse goanna, and the sand monitor, is a species of large Australian monitor lizard in the family Varanidae. Taxonomy John Edward Gray described the species in 1838 as ''Hydrosaurus gouldii'', noting the source of the type specimen as " New Holland" and distinguishing the new varanid by "two yellow streaks on the sides of the neck" and small flat scales at the orbits. An earlier description, ''Tupinambis endrachtensis'' Péron, F. 1807, was determined as likely to refer to this animal, but the epithet ''gouldii'' was conserved and a new specimen designated as the type. This neotype was obtained in 1997 at the near coastal Western Australian suburb of Karrakatta, and placed with the British Museum of Natural History. The decision of a nomenclatural commission (ICZN) was to issue an opinion suppressing the earlier name ''Tupinambis endrachtensis'' and the name ''Hydrosaurus ocellarius'' Blyt ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Perentie
The perentie (''Varanus giganteus'') is a species of monitor lizard. It is one of the largest living lizards on earth, after the Komodo dragon, Asian water monitor, and the crocodile monitor. Found west of the Great Dividing Range in the arid areas of Australia, it is rarely seen because of its shyness and the remoteness of much of its range from human habitation. The species is considered to be a least-concern species according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Its status in many Aboriginal cultures is evident in the totemic relationships, and part of the Ngiṉṯaka dreaming, as well as bush tucker. It was a favoured food item among desert Aboriginal tribes, and the fat was used for medicinal and ceremonial purposes. Taxonomy British zoologist John Edward Gray described the perentie in 1845 as ''Hydrosaurus giganteus'', calling it the "gigantic water lizard". George Albert Boulenger moved it to the genus ''Varanus''. Within the monitor genus '' Varanu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Leguaan
The Nile monitor (''Varanus niloticus'') is a large member of the Monitor lizard, monitor family (Varanidae) found throughout most of Sub-Saharan Africa, particularly in drier regions, and along the Nile River and its tributaries in East Africa. Additionally, there are modern, invasive populations in North America. The population found in West African forests and savannahs is sometimes recognized as a separate species, the West African Nile monitor (''V. stellatus'').Dowell, S.A, D.M. Portik, V. de Buffrenil, I Ineich, E Greenbaum, S.O. Kolokotronis and E.R. Hekkala. 2016. Molecular data from contemporary and historical collections reveal a complex story of cryptic diversification in the Varanus (Polydaedalus) niloticus Species Group. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 94(Part B): 591-604. While it is dwarfed by its larger relatives, such as the Komodo dragon, the Asian water monitor or the crocodile monitor, it is still List of largest extant lizards, one of the largest lizard ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
