Perentie
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| Perentie | ||||||||||||||||
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 Perentie Lizard at Perth Zoo
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Secure
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| Varanus giganteus (Gray, 1845) |
The Perentie (Varanus giganteus) is the largest monitor lizard or goanna native to Australia, and fourth largest lizard on earth, after the Komodo Dragon, crocodile monitor and the water monitor. Found west of the Great Dividing Range in the arid areas of Australia, they are not a common sight on account of their shyness and remoteness of much of their range from human habitation.
They were a favoured food item among desert Aboriginal tribes, and the fat was used for medicinal and ceremonial purposes.
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[edit] Description
The lizard can grow up to 2.5 metres (8 ft) in length although the average length is around 1.75-2 metres (5.5-6.5 ft) and weigh up to 15 kg (33 lb),maximum weight can be over 20 kg. Their rival for third largest lizard is the crocodile monitor. Crocodile Monitors are longer, and often exceed 8 feet in length, but perenties are heavier and bulkier than the crocodile monitor. However, Perenties are relatively lean lizards, less bulky than either the Komodo dragon or the water monitor.
[edit] Venom
In late 2005, University of Melbourne researchers discovered that Perenties (Varanus giganteus), other monitors and Iguanians may be somewhat venomous. Previously, it had been thought that bites inflicted by these lizards were simply prone to infection because of bacteria in the lizards' mouths, but these researchers have shown that the immediate effects are caused by mild envenomation. Bites on human digits by a Lace Monitor (Varanus varius), a Komodo Dragon (V. komodoensis) and a Spotted Tree Monitor (V. scalaris) have been observed and all produced similar results in humans: rapid swelling within minutes, localised disruption of blood clotting, shooting pain up to the elbow, with some symptoms lasting for several hours.[1]
According to some Australian wives' tales, the perentie is immune to the bite of venomous snakes. This folklore has not been experimentally tested in light of the discovery that the perentie is itself venomous.
[edit] Distribution and habitat
- Arid
- Rocky with hard packed soil and some other loose rock matter
[edit] Behaviour
Perenties are not a common sight in Australia: they are hard to find, and usually evade any human "looker" before the "looker" has a chance to see them.
They can stand on their back legs and tail to gain a better view of the surrounding terrain. This behaviour, known as "tripoding", is quite common to all monitors large and small. Perenties are fast sprinters, running using either all four legs or just their hind legs.
[edit] Diet
Perenties generally forage for their food, but are also known to wait for small animals to come to them. Prey include:
- Insects
- Reptiles, including their own kin
- Birds
- Small mammals
- Carrion
Large adults can attack larger prey, like small kangaroos.
[edit] Footnotes
[edit] References
- Cogger, H. (1967). Australian Reptiles in Colour. Sydney: A. H. & A. W. Reed, ISBN 0-589-07012-6
- King, Dennis & Green, Brian. 1999. Goannas: The Biology of Varanid Lizards. University of New South Wales Press. ISBN 0-86840-456-X
