Perentie

Description:

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. Their status in indigenous Aboriginal culture is evident in the totemic relationship, and part of a 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. Many are depicted in Aboriginal art and their accompanying stories such as the piece ‘Goanna Calling for Rain’ and ‘How the Perentie and Goanna got their Colours’.

Habitat:

Desert exhibit

Notes:

This is a captive animal at the Riverbanks Zoo & Garden in Columbia, South Carolina.