Perentie

Description:

Perenties are the biggest monitor lizard in Australia, reaching lengths of 2 metres or more. They display a forked tongue, long slender neck, flattened head, strong tail, powerful legs with 5 clawed toes and numerous sharp-curved backward-pointing teeth. It's a big animal, and having seen wild goannas which are of the same genus, the larger size of the Perentie is noticable. Its colour is also tan to brown, so it would blend in beautifully with the desert environment. These animals are also lightning-fast and can run down their prey, including rabbits and small kangaroos. This individual is also undergoing a process called "ecdysis", which simply means the animal is shedding the outer layer of skin. The old skin can still be seen around the base of the tail. I've been told this is an uncomfortable process and the animal can become quite aggressive.

Habitat:

This was a captive animal on display at the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary in Brisbane QLD. In their natural habitat, they can be found living in arid regions from Western Queensland to coastal Western Australia, usually around rocky hills and outcrops.

Notes:

Perenties are not a common sight in Australia. They generally avoid human contact and will retreat before they are seen. I was so delighted to see this fellow, even though he's a captive animal, because the chances of me ever seeing one in the wild are slim at best. This was my first encounter with the species.