Perentie
| Perentie | |
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| Perentie in the wild | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Lacertilia |
| Family: | Varanidae |
| Genus: | Varanus |
| Subgenus: | Varanus |
| Species: | V. giganteus |
| Binomial name | |
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Varanus giganteus (Gray, 1845) |
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| Distribution of the perentie | |
The perentie (or perente) (Varanus giganteus) is the largest monitor lizard or goanna native to Australia, and the fourth-largest living lizard on earth, after the Komodo dragon, Asian water monitor, and the crocodile monitor. Found west of the Great Dividing Range in the arid areas of Australia, they are not a common sight because of their shyness and the remoteness of much of their range from human habitation.
Their status in many Aboriginal cultures is evident in the totemic relationships, and part of the Ngiṉṯaka dreaming, as well as bush tucker. They were a favoured food item among desert Aboriginal tribes, and the fat was used for medicinal and ceremonial purposes.
The lizard can grow up to 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) long, although the average length is around 1.75 to 2 m (5 ft 9 in to 6 ft 7 in) and weigh up to 15 kg (33 lb) — maximum weight can be over 20 kg (44 lb). Their rival for the title of the third-largest lizard is the crocodile monitor, which although often longer, exceeding 2.4 m in length, is lighter and less bulky than the perentie. However, perenties are relatively lean lizards and are less bulky than either the Komodo dragon or the Asian water monitor.
In late 2005, University of Melbourne researchers discovered that perenties (Varanus giganteus), other monitors and iguanians may be somewhat venomous. Previously, bites inflicted by these lizards were thought to be simply prone to infection because of bacteria in the lizards' mouths, but these researchers have shown that the immediate effects are caused by mild envenomation. Bites on human digits by a lace monitor (Varanus varius), a Komodo dragon (V. komodoensis) and a spotted tree monitor (V. scalaris) have been observed to produce similar results: rapid swelling within minutes, localised disruption of blood clotting, and shooting pain up to the elbow, with some symptoms lasting for several hours.
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Wikipedia