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| Spencer's goanna | |
|---|---|
| |
| Cologne Zoological Garden | |
| Conservation status | |
 Least Concern (IUCN 3.1) | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Family: | Varanidae |
| Genus: | Varanus |
| Subgenus: | Varanus |
| Species: | V. spenceri |
| Binomial name | |
| Varanus spenceri Lucas & C. Frost, 1903 | |
Spencer's goanna (Varanus spenceri), also known commonly as Spencer's monitor, is a species of Australian monitor lizard.
Etymology
The specific name, spenceri, is in honour of English-Australian biologist Walter Baldwin Spencer.
Geographic range
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Queensland, Australia
Spencer's goanna is found in eastern Northern Territory and northwestern Queensland, Australia.
It is native to the Barkly Tableland.
Description
Spencer's goanna can grow to a total length (including tail) of up to 120 cm (47 in). Spencer's monitor is generally heavier than a similarly sized monitor of another species due to its "stockier" build. It has sharp claws which it uses for digging burrows.
Diet
Spencer's goanna eats anything it can find, including highly venomous snakes, small mammals, small lizards, eggs, and carrion (dead animals), and is able to digest anything it eats.
Defensive behaviour
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.
Habitat
The preferred natural habitat of Spencer's goanna is grassland.
Living in black soil plains with no trees, Spencer's goanna is the only Australian monitor that does not readily climb, although juvenile animals will climb given the opportunity.
Reproduction
Clutch size of Spencer's monitor generally ranges between 11 and 30 eggs.
Taxonomy
Varanus ingrami Boulenger, 1906, is an invalid name (a junior synonym) for this species.
References
- ^ Shea, G.; Hobson, R.; Amey, A. (2018). "Varanus spenceri". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018: e.T83778868A101752365. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T83778868A101752365.en. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
- Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Varanus spenceri, p. 250).
- ^ Species Varanus spenceri at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.
- Shannon, Rod (2008). "Observations on Three Species of Varanus in Ilfracombe, Queensland". Biawak. 2 (2): 85–86.
- Varanus spenceri
Further reading
- Cogger HG (2014). Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia, Seventh Edition. Clayton, Victoria, Australia: CSIRO Publishing. xxx + 1,033 pp. ISBN 978-0643100350.
- Lucas AHS, Frost C (1903). "Descriptions of two new Australian Lizards, Varanus spencer and Diplodactylus bilineatus ". Proceedins of the Royal Society of Victoria 15: 145–147. (Varanus spenceri, new species, pp. 145–146).
- Mertens R (1958). "Bemerkungen über die Warane Australiens ". Senckenbergiana biologica 39: 229–264. (in German).
- Wilson, Steve; Swan, Gerry (2013). A Complete Guide to Reptiles of Australia, Fourth Edition. Sydney: New Holland Publishers. 522 pp. ISBN 978-1921517280.
External links
Media related to Varanus spenceri at Wikimedia Commons- Photos at Kingsnake.com
| Taxon identifiers | |
|---|---|
| Varanus spenceri | |
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