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Like most native fauna, goannas are rather wary of human intrusions into their habitat, and most likely run away (into the scrub, up a tree, or into the water, depending on the species). A goanna is a rather swift mover, and when pressed, sprints short distances on its hind legs.
It is sometimes called the Bell's phase lace monitor. [10] The species is commonly known as lace monitor, tree goanna, or lacy. [11] It was known as wirriga to the Eora and Darug inhabitants of the Sydney basin, [12] and gugaa to the Wiradjuri people of southern New South Wales. [13]
Giant goannas and humans overlapped in time in Pleistocene Australia, but there is no evidence that they directly encountered each other. [33] Wonambi naracoortensis was a non-venomous snake of 5–6 m (16–20 ft) in length. It was an ambush predator living at waterholes located in natural sun traps and killed its prey by constriction.
In some Aboriginal languages, the sand goanna is called bungarra, [8] a term also commonly used by non-Aboriginal people in Western Australia. In Pitjantjatjara and other central Australian languages it is called "Tingka". Two subspecies are recognised, Varanus gouldii gouldii (Schlegel, 1837) – Gould's goanna
Locations and events associated with the Wati kutjara are frequently the subject of Aboriginal Art from Balgo and its outstations. [3]James Cowan's book Two men dreaming [6] draws upon Wati kutjara narratives, although the place-names appear to have been disguised.
Spencer's goanna has unusual defensive behaviour, where it feigns death when threatened; the body is flattened against the ground, one hind limb is extended while all other limbs held close to the body, and the tail is contorted into a wavy shape. The head is kept up to observe the threat, feigning death until the threat has left the area.
Perenties are the largest living species of lizard in Australia. Perenties can grow to lengths of 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) and weigh up to 20 kg (44 lb), possibly up to 3 m (9 ft 10 in) and 40 kg (88 lb), making it the fourth-largest extant species of lizard (exceeded in size only by the Komodo dragon , Asian water monitor and crocodile monitor ).
The mangrove monitor, [4] 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 3.5 to 4 ft (1.1 to 1.2 m).