Friday, March 6, 2009

The Monitor Lizard





















The Perentie or Monitor Lizard is found in the Desert regions of Australia. It is also known as a Goanna

Interesting Facts
Their status in Indigenous Aboriginal culture is evident in the totemic relationship (part of the dreaming) as well as bush tucker.
They were a favoured food item among desert Aboriginal tribes, and the fat was used for medicinal and ceremonial purposes.They often stand on their back legs and tail to gain a better view of the surrounding terrain. This behaviour is known as "tripoding". Perenties are fast sprinters, running using either all four legs or just their hind legs.

Habitat
Dry (Arid) rocky areas with hard packed soil and some other loose rock matter. The perentie is shy and prefers to live far away from human habitats. It hides away and gets cool shade from it's rocky habitat. They also live in grasslands, shrub and wooded areas.

Predators
The perentie has few predators although it's eggs can be vulnerable to attack. (Snakes may like to take them.) The monitor lizard is constantly on the look out and will run away very fast or hide at the first sign of anyone or anything which could potentially be dangerous.

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 kind
Birds and birds' eggs
Small mammals
Carrion
Large adults can attack larger prey, even small kangaroos.


There are various types of Monitor lizard some are very large (as large as a crocodile) and some are very small.

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Monitor lizards can be found in many parts of the world but only the Australian varieties are native to Australia.

Click to visit the Animal Planet Home Page and read more about the Perentie
Click to Read what the BBC web site says about the Perentie

Click Here to return to Australian Desert Animals Page