Goannas radiated from the north to Africa and Australia during the Miocene epoch, around 15 million years ago and have an important place in our history and culture. Photographed on Hamelin Reserve by Ben Parkhurst. It uses this organ in the same manner as snakes do and can often be seen flicking their tongues in search of a meal.The Perentie is Australia's largest goanna. Like all monitors, the Argus has a forked tongue and a vomeronasal organ in the roof of its mouth. Argus monitors have great senses, with smell being the most acute. Spiny-tailed goannas and Kimberley rock monitors are eaten regularly. The Argus monitor frequently preys on the dwarf monitors that it shares its range with. This includes fish, crabs, small birds, rodents, insects and even other monitors. Its prey consists of almost anything that it can overpower. The Argus monitor is riparian in habits and as such, it can usually be found around a permanent source of water. These large lizards are quite fast and will run up to 100 yards/meters to the nearest tree or burrow when they are chased.
Despite this, they will eagerly forage in trees and in the water. This species is an avid digger and will dig large burrows or take over an already existing burrow, where they spend a sizable portion of their time. They are primarily terrestrial, meaning they spend a great deal of time on the ground. The Argus monitor is a versatile predator and inhabits a large variety of biomes and habitats. Their color often varies with place of origin or even the individual. Most Argus monitors are yellow in color, with a background of brown or dark tan.
It is a reasonably lean monitor and does not put on the bulk that its African cousins often do. The size of an Argus monitor differs greatly between the sexes, with the female reaching an average total length of three feet (90 cm), while the male reaches an average of 4–5 feet (120–140 cm), the larger sized animals being V. It is also commonly known as the yellow-spotted monitor. The Argus monitor ( Varanus panoptes) is a monitor lizard found in northern regions of Australia and southern New Guinea. Adults can reach a weight from 2.5 to 7 kg.
AUSTRALIAN ARGUS MONITOR LARGE SKIN
They have beaded skin and linear stripes running down their bodies. The females are much smaller reaching up to 3 feet in total length, from nose to tail. Adult males are much larger than the females and can reach 3 feet in length at maturity and continue to grow to lengths of 4-5 feet. As hatchlings they have a emerald green complexion from tip of their snout to midway down their neck with black markings the emerald green eventually fades to black within a couple of months after shedding. It is believed that individuals of this species sometimes actively seek human attention, as would for example a cat or dog. A level of intelligence unusually high for reptiles has been observed, along with a high level of physical activity during the wakeful period of the year. Just as many other reptiles, Argentine Tegus will go into brumation (a form of hibernation) in autumn when the temperature drops. They are an omnivorous terrestrial species that inhabit the tropical rain forests, savannas and semideserts of east and central South America. Tegus fill ecological niches similar to those of monitor lizards, and are an example of convergent evolution. It is also known as the Argentine giant tegu. The Argentine black and white tegu, Tupinambis merianae, is the largest species of tegu. Argentine Black and White Tegu - Tupinambis merianae