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A goanna features as the heroic figure Mr Lizard in the Australian author May Gibbs’ children's books Snugglepot and Cuddlepie. A bronze statue of the goanna Mr Lizard has been placed outside the State Library of Victoria. The villain in the Disney film The Rescuers Down Under, Percival C. McLeach, has a pet goanna named Joanna.
The lace monitor (Varanus varius), also known as the tree goanna, is a member of the monitor lizard family native to eastern Australia. A large lizard, it can reach 2 metres (6.6 ft) in total length and 14 kilograms (31 lb) in weight.
The sand goanna (Varanus gouldii), also known commonly as Gould's monitor, the racehorse goanna, and the sand monitor, is a species of large Australian monitor lizard in the family Varanidae. [ 4 ] Taxonomy
Goannas, being predatory lizards, are often quite large or bulky, with sharp teeth and claws. The largest extant goanna is the perentie (Varanus giganteus), which can grow over 2 m (6 ft 7 in) in length. However, not all goannas are gargantuan: pygmy goannas may be smaller than a man's arm.
The specific name, mitchelli, as well as the common name, Mitchell's water monitor, are in honor of Australian herpetologist Francis John Mitchell (1929–1970) of the South Australian Museum. [ 5 ] [ 6 ] The classification Varanus is a Latinization of the Arabic word for monitor lizard, waran . [ 7 ]
ABC reported that the couple was attacked by a goanna, also known as an Australian monitor lizard. Goannas are known to be aggressive at times and can grow up to six and a half feet long .
The Dampier Peninsula monitor or Dampier Peninsula goanna (Varanus sparnus), described in 2014, is the smallest known species of monitor lizard, growing up to 16.3 grams with a length of almost 23 cm and a SVL (snout to vent length) of 116 mm.
Spencer's goanna has unusual defensive behaviour, where it feigns death when threatened; the body is flattened against the ground, one hind limb is extended while all other limbs held close to the body, and the tail is contorted into a wavy shape. The head is kept up to observe the threat, feigning death until the threat has left the area.