Spencer's goanna

Spencer's goanna (Varanus spenceri), also known commonly as Spencer's monitor, is a species of Australian monitor lizard.

Spencer's goanna
Cologne Zoological Garden
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Anguimorpha
Family:	Varanidae
Genus:	Varanus
Subgenus:	Varanus
Species:	V. spenceri
Binomial name
Varanus spenceri Lucas & C. Frost, 1903

Etymology

The specific name, spenceri, is in honour of English-Australian biologist Walter Baldwin Spencer.^[2]

Geographic range

Queensland, Australia

Spencer's goanna is found in eastern Northern Territory and northwestern Queensland, Australia.^[3]

It is native to the Barkly Tableland.^{[citation needed]}

Description

Spencer's goanna can grow to a total length (including tail) of up to 120 cm (47 in). Spencer's monitor is generally heavier than a similarly sized monitor of another species due to its "stockier" build. It has sharp claws which it uses for digging burrows.^{[citation needed]}

Diet

Spencer's goanna eats anything it can find, including highly venomous snakes, small mammals, small lizards, eggs, and carrion (dead animals), and is able to digest anything it eats.^{[citation needed]}

Defensive behaviour

Spencer's goanna exhibits 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. ^[4]

Habitat

The preferred natural habitat of Spencer's goanna is grassland.^[1]

Living in black soil plains with no trees, Spencer's goanna is the only Australian monitor that does not readily climb, although juvenile animals will climb given the opportunity.^{[citation needed]}

Reproduction

Clutch size of Spencer's monitor generally ranges between 11 and 30 eggs.^[5]

Taxonomy

Varanus ingrami Boulenger, 1906, is an invalid name (a junior synonym) for this species.^[3]