2023-08-31 23:38:55
Introduction
Gould’s monitor lizard Classification Kingdom Animalia Phylum Chordata Class Reptilia Order Squamata Suborder Autarchoglossa Family Varanidae Genus Varanus Binomial name (In taxonomy (botany, zoology, etc.), the binomial name, or binomial, comes from…) Varanus gouldii
(Gray, 1838) Geographical distribution
The bipedal position characteristic of the Varan de Gould
Gouldian monitor lizard on a beach (Geomorphology defines a beach as an “accumulation on the seashore of…) in Queensland
The Gouldian monitor lizard (Varanus gouldii) is a species (In the life sciences, the species (from the Latin species, “type”) of monitor lizard found in Australia (Australia (officially Commonwealth of Australia ) is a country of…) and to the south (South is a cardinal point, opposite to north.) of New Guinea (New Guinea is an island in Oceania near the western ocean Pacific.) It can measure 1.60 m long for a mass (The term mass is used to designate two quantities attached to one…) of 6 kg.
Features
Nicknamed sand monitor or racing horse monitor, it can, hence its name, move at high speed on its hind legs. One of the characteristics of the Gouldian monitor is its bipedal position, resting on its tail, which allows it to observe its prey or predators. The Gouldian monitor defends itself aggressively (Aggressiveness is a mode of behavior of living beings and…) when attacked. Inflating its neck (The neck is the region of the body which is located between the head and the rest of the body…) to frighten the adversary, it can launch violent blows of its tail and also uses its claws. Like many monitor lizards, this species lives in burrows. Its ideal biotope (In mathematics, an ideal is an algebraic structure defined in a ring….) is the arid bush but also the eucalyptus forests (Eucalyptus, (from the Greek Δáœ-eu: well, and… ) and mountains like the Australian Cordillera (A cordillera is an elongated and narrow mountain range generally resulting from…), but despite this it has adapted to all Australian biotopes.
Distribution
This species is found throughout Australia, even in some very arid areas, as well as in southern New Guinea. It is the most common monitor lizard species in Australia. It is found in Queensland, in the Northern Territory (The notion of territory has taken on increasing importance in geography and in particular in…) (The north is a cardinal point, opposite to the south.), South Australia, Western Australia as well as parts of New South Wales and Victoria.
Predation
The Gouldian monitor lizard is an agile and skilful hunter, which feeds on small reptiles (lizards, snakes), more or less small mammals (rabbits, etc.), birds and their eggs. It can even consume carrion. It kills its prey with its claws and teeth (which shred large prey).
Subspecies
The following subspecies are recognized:
Varanus gouldii gouldii (Gray, 1838); Varanus gouldii flavirufus Mertens, 1958.
Another subspecies is reported (Varanus gouldii horni Böhme, 1988) but this one seems not to be currently recognized (Cogger, 2000).
Reproduction
The male monitor lizards caress the erogenous zones of the females with their muzzles before lifting their tails and inserting one of their hemipenis at the level of the cloaca. The Gouldian monitor digs its nest (The nest generally designates the structure built by the birds to contain…) in the sand (The sand, or arena, is a loose sedimentary rock, made up of small…) or in the earth (Earth is the third planet in the Solar System in order of distance…). This is where the female (In biology, female (from the Latin “femella”, little woman, young woman) is the…) lays regarding a dozen eggs.
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