Last week I saw a goanna on my ridge. It was an occasion of great delight because, over 30 years, this is only the second goanna I have ever seen up here. They have both been Lace Monitors.
My new goanna ran up on to the base of a large horizontal tree trunk that had been snapped off and smashed down in a storm some years ago.
As you can see, the camouflage is perfect – greyish, pinkish, blackish; ripples and spots, patches and strips. And look at that exquisite needle point tail!
Perhaps there are more goannas here than I thought: I just haven’t had my goanna eyes tuned in.
Shane, there’s no soft dirt here to see tracks in, all grass, but I am very familar with their tracks, from early days at Myall Lakes. And there’s plenty of snakes!
Hi Sharyn,
I am surprised you haven’t seen more. They clean up anything that dies like wallabies and birds. They also keep the snake numbers down. Have you ever seen a squiggly line in the dust/dirt or sand with little paw scratch marks either side of the line? This would be the tracks they leave behind.
They have a crude venom that floods over their back teeth so make sure you are never bit. It wont kill you but it sure makes for a difficult to heal wound.
I love your posts and always look forward to see what your newest post is about.