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Varanus varius
Lace Monitor at Clyde River Retreat
Identification history
| Varanus varius | 13 May 2019 | PatrickCampbell | ||
| Unidentified | 13 May 2019 | ClydeRiver |
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Author's notes
This is the most recent addition to our Goanna family. We have a very large and muscular male, a large but slighter Goanna with beautiful blue, blue/green markings around the chin to chest which I assume to be female plus a smaller Goanna which is nonetheless markedly larger than this one that made its appearance (regularly) around the Retreat this year.
4 comments
PatrickCampbell wrote:
14 May 2019
Why do you assume that the "large but slighter Goanna with beautiful blue, blue/green markings around the chin to chest" to be female?
ClydeRiver wrote:
14 May 2019
Just because it is large but less solid and muscular and because these four are the creatures I regularly see ... so I'm afraid I just made that possibly erroneous assumption ... feel free to correct me. It is the only one I don't have a photograph of.
PatrickCampbell wrote:
15 May 2019
You may be right, as adult males often reach larger maximum sizes (20-30% larger) than females.
However young males are sometimes mistaken for females, as it's more a case of males continuing to grow after they reach a certain age after which the growth of females is reduced. If you happen to know the animals well (as it sounds like you do) over a long period of time and can identify the smaller mature individual and know it to have stopped growing, then you can safely call it a female.
I've found that comparing head shots from side on perspectives often gives a good indication of sex with males having a more pronounced snout. Adult males also display hemipenal bulges, although you have to have a good look at the underside of the base of the tail from close proximity, which is not necessarily recommended with such powerful animals as these! Males also often have a stronger feeding response, although it's not recommended to feed wild monitors.
However young males are sometimes mistaken for females, as it's more a case of males continuing to grow after they reach a certain age after which the growth of females is reduced. If you happen to know the animals well (as it sounds like you do) over a long period of time and can identify the smaller mature individual and know it to have stopped growing, then you can safely call it a female.
I've found that comparing head shots from side on perspectives often gives a good indication of sex with males having a more pronounced snout. Adult males also display hemipenal bulges, although you have to have a good look at the underside of the base of the tail from close proximity, which is not necessarily recommended with such powerful animals as these! Males also often have a stronger feeding response, although it's not recommended to feed wild monitors.
ClydeRiver wrote:
15 May 2019
OK, thank you very much. The one I thought might have been female had a more slender pointed snout but then was generally 'slender', so this may have been more due to immaturity. I will keep a look out ... last I saw this one it was in the chicken run when the chickens were out gardening with me and we had quite an exciting time of showing it the way out with the chickens almost 'barking' at the poor creature!
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Nearby sightings
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Location information
- Coordinates 150.235353-35.424502
- Altitude 45.0m
- Maps Clyde River Retreat
- Places Morton, NSW
Species information
- Not Sensitive
- Local Native
- Non-Invasive
Sighting information
- 4 Abundance
- 17 Feb 2019 12:00 AM Recorded on
- ClydeRiver Recorded by
