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Lifespan, longevity, and ageing

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Maximum longevity: 18.3 years (captivity)
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Conservation Status

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Varanids are protected from exploitation by state, federal, and international legislation. The conservation status is quite stable. Their largest threats are poachers, vehicle traffic, and raptorial birds. Habitat alteration and pollution must be kept to a minimum in order to maintain the species. (King and Green 1993)

US Federal List: no special status

CITES: no special status

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: no special status

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McDonnell, K. 2000. "Varanus gouldii" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed April 27, 2013 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Varanus_gouldii.html
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Kirsten McDonnell, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
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Dea Armstrong, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
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Benefits

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This reptile does no economic harm.

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McDonnell, K. 2000. "Varanus gouldii" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed April 27, 2013 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Varanus_gouldii.html
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Kirsten McDonnell, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
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Dea Armstrong, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
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Benefits

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Many goannas are used for food by Aborigines. They are also important animals in many Aboriginal cultures.

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McDonnell, K. 2000. "Varanus gouldii" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed April 27, 2013 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Varanus_gouldii.html
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Kirsten McDonnell, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
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Dea Armstrong, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
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Trophic Strategy

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All varanids are carnivorous and active predators. Gould’s goannas eat primarily mammals and reptiles but will also eat birds, amphibians, reptile eggs, insects, and crustaceans. Much of the vertebrate portion of their diet is probably scavenged from animals killed on the road. The goanna forages over long distances and often digs for prey in loose soil and decaying vegetation. They obtain most of their water from their food. Goannas walk with their snout held close to the ground while hunting for food. The long forked tongue flickers in and out transferring scents to the Jacobson’s organs. This way they can rapidly locate hidden prey, even if it is underground. They then use their sharp claws as well as their snout to dig out the prey. Cannibalism also occurs in the Gould’s goanna. Often this involves feeding on carrion.

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McDonnell, K. 2000. "Varanus gouldii" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed April 27, 2013 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Varanus_gouldii.html
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Kirsten McDonnell, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
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Dea Armstrong, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
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Distribution

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Gould's goanna is commonly found throughout Australia and New Guinea except on Tasmania and in south-eastern Victoria state.

Biogeographic Regions: australian (Native )

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McDonnell, K. 2000. "Varanus gouldii" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed April 27, 2013 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Varanus_gouldii.html
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Kirsten McDonnell, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
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Habitat

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These goannas are widely distributed throughout woodland habitats. They are solely a terrestrial species associated with sandy soils. This goanna is more commonly found in the wet season than the dry season.

Habitat Regions: tropical ; terrestrial

Terrestrial Biomes: desert or dune ; savanna or grassland ; chaparral ; forest ; rainforest

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McDonnell, K. 2000. "Varanus gouldii" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed April 27, 2013 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Varanus_gouldii.html
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Kirsten McDonnell, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
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Life Expectancy

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Average lifespan
Status: captivity:
18.3 years.

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McDonnell, K. 2000. "Varanus gouldii" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed April 27, 2013 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Varanus_gouldii.html
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Kirsten McDonnell, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
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Morphology

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Adult female Gould’s goanna average two-thirds the body length and only one-third the mass of adult males. Adult males are approximately 32 cm in length while females are approximately 28 cm. The lizard is greenish-gray with uniform ringed small yellow spots all over its body. The spots are faint towards the neck but are more prominent on the tail and lower torso. The snake-like head is flat with the yellow pattern on the sides. The bottom quarter of the tail is long and solid yellow.

(Shine 1986)

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McDonnell, K. 2000. "Varanus gouldii" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed April 27, 2013 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Varanus_gouldii.html
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Kirsten McDonnell, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
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Reproduction

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During the wet season when breeding occurs, the male goanna locates the burrow of a female and builds a burrow of his own a few meters away. Over several days the male and female spend an increasing amount of time together. Eventually, they begin to copulate. They continue to mate over and over again for several days. During this period of intense breeding activity, the pair may share the same burrow. After many days the intensity of copulation declines and the goannas separate and forage independently. When it is time to lay the eggs, the female locates an active termite mound. She digs a tunnel towards the center of the mound 50 to 60 cm deep. At the end of the tunnel she digs a large cavity. The female then sits on the top of the mound and lays 10 to 17 eggs into the tunnel. Afterwards she refills the tunnel, and the termites reconstruct the mound around the goanna eggs. The termites regulate the temperature and humidity, so this is an excellent place for development of the eggs. Delayed fertilization has been recorded in this species.

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McDonnell, K. 2000. "Varanus gouldii" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed April 27, 2013 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Varanus_gouldii.html
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Kirsten McDonnell, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
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Sand goanna

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The sand goanna (Varanus gouldii) is a species of large Australian monitor lizard, also known as Gould's monitor, sand monitor, or racehorse goanna.[4]

Taxonomy

John Edward Gray described the species in 1838 as Hydrosaurus gouldii,[3] noting the source of the type specimen as "New Holland" and distinguishing the new varanid by "two yellow streaks on the sides of the neck" and small flat scales at the orbits.[2] An earlier description, Tupinambis endrachtensis Péron, F. 1807, was determined as likely to refer to this animal, but the epithet gouldii was conserved and a new specimen designated as the type.[5][3] This neotype was obtained in 1997 at the near coastal Western Australian suburb of Karrakatta, and placed with the British Museum of Natural History. The decision of a nomenclatural commission (ICZN) was to issue an opinion suppressing the earlier names, Tupinambis endrachtensis and Hydrosaurus ocellarius Blyth, 1868, that were unsatisfactory to some who had commented on the case, but provided taxonomic certainty for future revisions of the associated taxa.[6]

The specific name is assumed to be a Latinised form of an associate of the describing author, the ornithologist John Gould, who was actively assembling specimens of fauna from Australia but is not thought to have any direct connection to this species.[5]

In some Aboriginal languages, the sand goanna is called bungarra,[7] a term also commonly used by non-Aboriginal people in Western Australia. In Pitjantjatjara and other central Australian languages it is called "Tingka".

Two subspecies are recognised,

Nota bene: A trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the subspecies was originally described in a genus other than Varanus.

Description

Eromanga, Queensland

A species of Varanus, lizards known as monitors and goannas, that is found in a variety of habitat. Due to the taxonomic uncertainty during the twentieth century the species form and behaviour has included taxa later recognised as distinct species, this includes V. rosenbergi, formerly treated as a subspecies and later elevated, and V. panoptes, described as a new species in 1980 and resolved as a legitimate publication in 2000.[6][8]

Biology

Gould's monitor is a terrestrial reptile that excavates large burrows for shelter. Rock escarpments and tree hollows are also suitable dwellings. It inhabits a vast range throughout Australia, reaching an average length of 140 cm (4.6 ft) and weighing as much as 6 kg (13 lb). It can be found in northern and eastern Australia, where they inhabit open woodlands and grasslands. V. g. flavirufus, a slightly smaller subspecies, resides in Australia's interior. In some places, however, the ranges of Gould's monitor, V. g. flavirufus and the Argus monitor overlap. The similarities between the species and their close proximity frequently cause confusion.

The sand monitor is a relentless forager. It is diurnal, meaning most of its activities take place during the day. Anything smaller than itself will be eagerly devoured. The diets of hatchlings and juveniles often consist mostly of insects and small lizards, but generally varies more with age. Adult monitors will prey on mice, other small mammals, small birds, crustaceans, scorpions, large insects, small lizard species, snakes, amphibians, eggs, and carrion.[9][10] They have also been seen to congregate around fish kills.[11] They are seemingly immune to snake venom and will kill and eat even the most venomous species such as the inland taipan. The sand goanna does consume smaller species of monitors: Ackies, rock monitors and other dwarf species are often found and eaten. It is common to see a Gould's monitor disturbing rock piles in an attempt to flush out any Odatria. It lays its eggs in termite mounds to protect them from the harsh desert climate.

Like all goannas and snakes the sand monitor has a forked tongue, with which it "tastes" the air. Scents are picked up on each side of the fork which, when retracted, brushes over an area in the mouth called the Jacobson's organ, which identifies on which side the scent is stronger. Upon identifying this difference in scent strength the sand monitor can alter its direction accordingly. A 2021 study had shown that during the Miocene, Komodo dragons had hybridized with the ancestors of the sand goanna, thus providing evidence that the Komodo dragon had once inhabited Australia.[12][13][14]

Gallery

Citations

  1. ^ Craig, M.; Doughty, P.; Melville, J. (2018). "Varanus gouldii". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018: e.T83778110A101752320. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-1.RLTS.T83778110A101752320.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. ^ a b Gray, J.E. (1838). "Catalogue of the slender-tongued saurians, with descriptions of many new genera and species. Part 3". Annals of Natural History. 1: 388–394 [394]. doi:10.1080/00222933809512320.
  3. ^ a b c Australian Biological Resources Study (16 August 2012). "Subspecies Varanus gouldii gouldii (Gray, 1838)". Australian Faunal Directory. Canberra, Australian Capital Territory: Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Australian Government. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
  4. ^ "Wild Herps - Sand Monitor (Varanus gouldii)". Wildherps.com. Retrieved 16 April 2018.
  5. ^ a b Shea, G.M.; Cogger, H.G. (1998). "Comment On The Proposed Conservation Of The Names Hydrosaurus gouldii Gray, 1838 and Varanus panoptes Storr, 1980 (Reptilia, Squamata) By The Designation Of A Neotype For Hydrosaurus Gouldii". The Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature. 55: 106–111. doi:10.5962/bhl.part.159.
  6. ^ a b International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature (31 March 2000). "Opinion 1948". The Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature. 57: 63–65.
  7. ^ Flora and fauna of Australia’s West Pilbara Coast Archived 2013-01-25 at the Wayback Machine Karratha Visitor Centre website, accessed: 30 July 2012
  8. ^ Pianka, E.R.; King, D.; King, R.A. (2004). Varanoid Lizards of the World. Indiana University Press. pp. 423, 428. ISBN 9780253343666.
  9. ^ "Varanus gouldii (Sand Monitor, Gould's Goanna)". Animal Diversity Web.
  10. ^ "Varanus Gouldii".
  11. ^ "Varanus Gouldii".
  12. ^ Pavón-Vázquez, Carlos J.; Brennan, Ian G.; Keogh, J. Scott (2021). "A Comprehensive Approach to Detect Hybridization Sheds Light on the Evolution of Earth's Largest Lizards". Systematic Biology. 70 (5): 877–890. doi:10.1093/sysbio/syaa102. PMID 33512509.
  13. ^ "Study reveals surprising history of world's largest lizard". phys.org. Retrieved 2021-03-06.
  14. ^ "Komodo dragons not only inhabited ancient Australia, but also mated with our sand monitors". Australian Geographic. 2021-03-03. Retrieved 2021-03-06.

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Sand goanna: Brief Summary

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The sand goanna (Varanus gouldii) is a species of large Australian monitor lizard, also known as Gould's monitor, sand monitor, or racehorse goanna.

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