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The name goanna derived from iguana, since early European bush settlers in Australia likened goannas to the South American lizards. [2] Over time, the initial vowel sound was dropped. A similar explanation is used to link possums to the American opossum.
They are native to Africa, ... the lizards became known as "goannas" in Australia. Similarly, ... Monitor lizards also occurred widely in Europe in the Neogene, ...
The lace monitor (Varanus varius), also known as the tree goanna, is a member of the monitor lizard family native to eastern Australia. A large lizard, it can reach 2 metres (6.6 ft) in total length and 14 kilograms (31 lb) in weight.
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.
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. [ 4 ] Taxonomy
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.
The stripe-tailed goanna (Varanus caudolineatus), also known as the line-tailed pygmy monitor [1] is a semi-arboreal species of monitor lizard native to Western Australia. [ 2 ] Description
The species is native to Northern Australia. Also known commonly as Glauert's monitor and the Kakadu sand goanna, [5] it belongs to the subgenus Odatria. [6] Etymology