Spencer's goanna (Varanus spenceri), also known commonly as Spencer's monitor, is a species of monitor lizard in the family Varanidae. The species is endemic to Australia.
The specific name, spenceri, is in honor of English-Australian biologist Walter Baldwin Spencer.
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
Oviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
Precocial species are those in which the young are relatively mature and mobile from the moment of birth or hatching. Precocial species are normall...
A burrow is a hole or tunnel excavated into the ground by an animal to create a space suitable for habitation, temporary refuge, or as a byproduct ...
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starts withVaranus spenceri 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.
Varanus spenceri is found in eastern Northern Territory and northwestern Queensland, Australia.
It is native to the Barkly Tableland.
The preferred natural habitat of V. spenceri is grassland.
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.
When threatened, V. spenceri hisses loudly, distends its throat and whips its aggressor with its muscular tail.
Varanus spenceri 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.
Clutch size of Spencer's monitor generally ranges between 11 and 30 eggs.
