Monitor lizard but you already worked that out - the big Australian
lizards are called 'Goannas' - a corruption of Iguana but in fact
they are members of the Monitor group, like the Komodo Dragon. The
biggest is the Perentie, a most beautiful beast but rare and shy, a
sort on land crocodile.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perentie
Common species of 'sand goannas' are easily seen, especially in arid
areas and are often near 2m long though they have a long tail. I've
had them break into my tent and steal the eggs, a favorite food. You
prefer not to argue, especially since we discovered the bit about the
venomous bite!
There is a local joke that because the natural inclination of a
goanna is to flee danger, like dingo, by running up the nearest tree,
it is unwise to startle them in the desert. You may be the only thing
around that looks like a tree and you'll find the huge damn thing
sitting nervously on your head with its big tree climbing claws dug
into your scalp, not to mention the wounds inflicted by it getting up
there. I suspect it's a complete (non-urban) myth but it's a great
story and I saw it done very amusingly in a movie recently.
Andrew Fildes
afildes@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
On 15/02/2009, at 2:39 PM, Fernando Gonzalez Gentile wrote:
> Now, what's a 'monitor' .... LOL ( but seriously !! )
--
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