Spencer's goanna
Spencer's goanna (Varanus spenceri), also known commonly as Spencer's monitor, is a species of monitor lizard in the family Varanidae. The species is endemic to Australia.
| Spencer's goanna | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| 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 | |
Etymology
The specific name, spenceri, is in honor of English-Australian biologist Walter Baldwin Spencer.[2]
Geographic range
V. spenceri is found in eastern Northern Territory and northwestern Queensland, Australia.[3]
It is native to the Barkly Tableland.
Description
V. spenceri 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
Varanus spenceri 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 behavior
When threatened, V. spenceri hisses loudly, distends its throat and whips its aggressor with its muscular tail.
Habitat
The preferred natural habitat of V. spenceri is grassland.[1]
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.
Taxonomy
Varanus ingrami Boulenger, 1906, is an invalid name (a junior synonym) for this species.[3]
References
- Shea G, Hobson R, Amey A (2018). "Varanus spenceri ". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2018: e.T83778868A101752365. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T83778868A101752365.en. Downloaded on 01 June 2020.
- 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.
- 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.
