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Lace Monitor
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| [Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note |
hi everyone,
i've realized i haven't posted a reptile photo yet!
so here's a Lace Monitor (Varanus varius) climbing a tree at Lake Tinaroo, Atherton Tablelands, Qld, Australia.
i found this guy because he'd chosen to climb a Cockatoo's tree.. the amount of noise a sulphur crested cockatoo makes on an average day, is quite a racket.. Multiply that by about 10 for how loud a cockatoo screams when a 2 meter lizard is climbing it's tree. Makes it pretty obvious there's something there to photograph =)
thanks for looking
a bit about the Lace Monitor... from wikipedia
The Lace Monitor, or Lace Goanna, Varanus varius, is a member of the monitor lizard family, Australian members of which are commonly known as goannas.
Lace Monitors, are also known as Lace Goannas in Australia and are the second-largest monitor in Australia after the Perentie. They can be as long as 2.1 metres (over 6ft 10ins) with a head and body length of up to 76.5 cm (2½ ft). The tail is long and slender and about 1.5 times the length of the head and body.
These common terrestrial and often arboreal monitors are found in eastern Australia and range from Cape Bedford on Cape York Peninsula to south-eastern South Australia. They frequent both open and closed forests and forage over long distances (up to 3 km a day).
They are mainly active from September to May, but are inactive in cooler weather and shelter in a tree hollow or under a fallen tree or large rock.
The females lay from 4 to 14 eggs in spring or summer in termite nests. They frequently attack the large composting nests of Scrub Turkeys to steal their eggs, and often show injuries on their tails inflicted by male Scrub Turkeys pecking at them to drive them away.
Their patterning consists of white spots, blotches or bands on their body. Their distribution is chiefly coastal. Their diet typically consists of insects, reptiles, small mammals, birds and birds' eggs.
Like all Australian goannas, they were a favorite traditional food of Australian Aboriginal peoples and their fat was particularly valued as a medicine and for use in ceremonies[citation needed].
Venom
In late 2005, University of Melbourne researchers discovered that Perenties (Varanus giganteus) and other monitors, as well as Gila Monsters, Iguanians and Beaded Lizards may be somewhat venomous. Previously, it had been thought that bites inflicted by these lizards were simply prone to infection because of bacteria in the lizards' mouths, but these researchers have shown that the immediate effects are caused by mild envenomation. Bites on human digits by a Lace Monitor (Varanus varius), a Komodo Dragon (V. komodoensis) and a Spotted Tree Monitor (V. scalaris) have been observed and all produced similar results in humans: rapid swelling within minutes, localised disruption of blood clotting, shooting pain up to to the elbow, with some symptoms lasting for several hours. |
rkailas, rcrick, JPlumb, jusninasirun has marked this note useful
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the pic is great (not that i have an affinity for reptiles)
Hi Gethin
A really interesting animal on TN. What a long tail it has. Very nice POV, and nice colors. I wish we could see the head better.
TFS and Best
Ravi
- rcrick
![Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 627 W: 42 N: 1153]](http://i1.treknature.com/misc/g-s-g.gif)
(3730) - [2008-02-13 19:16]
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Hi Gethin,
Great capture of this Lace Monitor, stunning details and colour, excellent POV, looks like it even has a smile on its face, nice work :) all the best Cheers Rick :)
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- JPlumb
![Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 643 W: 160 N: 894]](http://i1.treknature.com/misc/g-g-g.gif)
(2837) - [2008-02-13 22:30]
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Ah, most incredible shot Gethin. I saw one of these guys last year in Shoal Bay, I thought he was huge, at 1 meter, and mine was on the ground. This guy is enormous.
His colour is great and I like the background colour found in the Eucalyptus. Nothing says Australia, like finding these two together. Very nice shot of this guy in his natural environment.
Thanks, John
Hello Gethin,
I am not very fond on reptiles but you have captured this rather cunningly. Good details of the full length shot. Nice tree perspective and good natural environment.
Well done and best regards,
Jusni
![Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 155 W: 2 N: 176]](http://i1.treknature.com/misc/g-n-g.gif)
(743)