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Sand goanna

January 01, 1970

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]

Sand goanna
Gould's monitor or sand goanna in Mungo National Park, New South Wales, Australia
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Varanidae
Genus: Varanus
Subgenus: Varanus
Species:
V. gouldii
Binomial name
Varanus gouldii
(Gray, 1838)[2]
Distribution of the sand goanna
Synonyms[3]

Taxonomy edit

John Edward Gray described the species in 1838 as Hydrosaurus gouldii,[3] noting the source of the type specimen as "New Holland" and distinguishing the new varanid by "two yellow streaks on the sides of the neck" and small flat scales at the orbits.[2] An earlier description, Tupinambis endrachtensis Péron, F. 1807, was determined as likely to refer to this animal, but the epithet gouldii was conserved and a new specimen designated as the type.[5][3] This neotype was obtained in 1997 at the near coastal Western Australian suburb of Karrakatta, and placed with the British Museum of Natural History. The decision of a nomenclatural commission (ICZN) was to issue an opinion suppressing the earlier name Tupinambis endrachtensis and the name Hydrosaurus ocellarius Blyth, 1868, that were unsatisfactory to some who had commented on the case, but provided taxonomic certainty for future revisions of the associated taxa.[6]

The specific name, gouldii, is assumed to be a Latinised form of the surname of an associate of the describing author, the English ornithologist John Gould,[7] who was actively assembling specimens of fauna from Australia but is not thought to have any direct connection to this species.[5]

In some Aboriginal languages, the sand goanna is called bungarra,[8] a term also commonly used by non-Aboriginal people in Western Australia. In Pitjantjatjara and other central Australian languages it is called "Tingka".

Two subspecies are recognised,

  • Varanus gouldii gouldii (Schlegel, 1837) – Gould's goanna
  • Varanus gouldii flavirufus Mertens, 1958 – desert sand monitor

Nota bene: A trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the subspecies was originally described in a genus other than Varanus.

Description edit

 
Eromanga, Queensland

A species of Varanus, lizards known as monitors and goannas, that is found in a variety of habitat. Due to the taxonomic uncertainty during the twentieth century the species form and behaviour has included taxa later recognised as distinct species, this includes V. rosenbergi, formerly treated as a subspecies and later elevated, and V. panoptes, described as a new species in 1980 and resolved as a legitimate publication in 2000.[6][9]

Biology edit

Gould's monitor is a terrestrial reptile that excavates large burrows for shelter. Rock escarpments and tree hollows are also suitable dwellings. It inhabits a vast range throughout Australia, reaching an average length of 140 cm (4.6 ft) and weighing as much as 6 kg (13 lb). It can be found in northern and eastern Australia, where they inhabit open woodlands and grasslands. V. g. flavirufus, a slightly smaller subspecies, resides in Australia's interior. In some places, however, the ranges of Gould's monitor, V. g. flavirufus and the Argus monitor overlap. The similarities between the species and their close proximity frequently cause confusion.

The sand monitor is a relentless forager. It is diurnal, meaning most of its activities take place during the day. Anything smaller than itself will be eagerly devoured. The diets of hatchlings and juveniles often consist mostly of insects and small lizards, but generally varies more with age. Adult monitors will prey on mice, other small mammals, small birds, crustaceans, scorpions, large insects, small lizard species, snakes, amphibians, eggs, and carrion.[10][11] They have also been seen to congregate around fish kills.[12] They are seemingly immune to snake venom and will kill and eat even the most venomous species such as the inland taipan. The sand goanna does consume smaller species of monitors: Ackies, rock monitors and other dwarf species are often found and eaten. It is common to see a Gould's monitor disturbing rock piles in an attempt to flush out any Odatria. It lays its eggs in termite mounds to protect them from the harsh desert climate.

Like all goannas and snakes the sand monitor has a forked tongue, with which it "tastes" the air. Scents are picked up on each side of the fork which, when retracted, brushes over an area in the mouth called the Jacobson's organ, which identifies on which side the scent is stronger. Upon identifying this difference in scent strength the sand monitor can alter its direction accordingly. A 2021 study had shown that during the Miocene, Komodo dragons had hybridized with the ancestors of the sand goanna, thus providing evidence that the Komodo dragon had once inhabited Australia.[13][14][15]

Gallery edit

  •  
    Sand goanna near Broken Hill
  •  
    Sand monitor walking tracks in sand.
  •  
    Bungarra at the Gidgee Gold Mine.
  •  
    Bungarra at the Sunrise Dam Gold Mine.
  •  
    Chace ranges, South Australia
  •  
    Mungo National Park, NSW, Australia
  •  
    Sand goanna at a camera lure
  •  
    Sand goanna
  •  
    Northern Territory

Citations edit

  1. ^ Craig, M.; Doughty, P.; Melville, J. (2018). "Varanus gouldii". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018: e.T83778110A101752320. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-1.RLTS.T83778110A101752320.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. ^ a b Gray, J.E. (1838). "Catalogue of the Slender-tongued Saurians, with Descriptions of many new Genera and Species. [Part 3]". Annals of Natural History. 1: 388–394 [394]. doi:10.1080/00222933809512320.
  3. ^ a b c Australian Biological Resources Study (16 August 2012). "Subspecies Varanus gouldii gouldii (Gray, 1838)". Australian Faunal Directory. Canberra, Australian Capital Territory: Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Australian Government. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
  4. ^ "Wild Herps - Sand Monitor (Varanus gouldii)". Wildherps.com. Retrieved 16 April 2018.
  5. ^ a b Shea, G.M.; Cogger, H.G. (1998). "Comment On The Proposed Conservation Of The Names Hydrosaurus gouldii Gray, 1838 and Varanus panoptes Storr, 1980 (Reptilia, Squamata) By The Designation Of A Neotype For Hydrosaurus Gouldii". The Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature. 55: 106–111. doi:10.5962/bhl.part.159.
  6. ^ a b International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature (31 March 2000). "Opinion 1948". The Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature. 57: 63–65.
  7. ^ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Varanus gouldii, p. 104).
  8. ^ Flora and fauna of Australia’s West Pilbara Coast 2013-01-25 at the Wayback Machine Karratha Visitor Centre website, accessed: 30 July 2012
  9. ^ Pianka, Eric R.; King, Dennis R.; King, Ruth Allen (2004). Varanoid Lizards of the World. Indiana University Press. pp. 423, 428. ISBN 9780253343666.
  10. ^ "Varanus gouldii (Sand Monitor, Gould's Goanna)". Animal Diversity Web.
  11. ^ "Varanus gouldii ".
  12. ^ "Varanus gouldii ".
  13. ^ Pavón-Vázquez, Carlos J.; Brennan, Ian G.; Keogh, J. Scott (2021). "A Comprehensive Approach to Detect Hybridization Sheds Light on the Evolution of Earth's Largest Lizards". Systematic Biology. 70 (5): 877–890. doi:10.1093/sysbio/syaa102. PMID 33512509.
  14. ^ "Study reveals surprising history of world's largest lizard". phys.org. Retrieved 2021-03-06.
  15. ^ "Komodo dragons not only inhabited ancient Australia, but also mated with our sand monitors". Australian Geographic. 2021-03-03. Retrieved 2021-03-06.

General sources edit

  • Bush, Brian; Maryan, Brad; Browne-Cooper, Robert; Robinson, David (1995). A Guide to the Reptiles and Frogs of the Perth Region. Nedlands: UWA Press. ISBN 1-875560-42-4. 226 pp.
  • Cogger, H. (1967). Australian Reptiles in Colour. Sydney: A. H. & A. W. Reed. ISBN 0-589-07012-6.
  • King, Dennis; Green, Brian (1999). Goannas: The Biology of Varanid Lizards. University of New South Wales Press. ISBN 0-86840-456-X.
  • Thompson, G. G. (1995). "Foraging patterns and behaviours, body postures and movement speed for goannas, Varanus gouldii (Reptilia: Varanidae), in a semi-urban environment" (PDF). Journal of the Royal Society of Western Australia. 78 (4): 107–114.

External links edit

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sand goanna.
  • Photo of Varanus gouldii at AROD.com.au
  • Photo of Varanus gouldii at Pbase.com

January 01, 1970
sand, goanna, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, april, 2019, . This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Sand goanna news newspapers books scholar JSTOR April 2019 Learn how and when to remove this message 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 Sand goanna Gould s monitor or sand goanna in Mungo National Park New South Wales Australia Conservation status Least Concern IUCN 3 1 1 Scientific classification Domain Eukaryota Kingdom Animalia Phylum Chordata Class Reptilia Order Squamata Family Varanidae Genus Varanus Subgenus Varanus Species V gouldii Binomial name Varanus gouldii Gray 1838 2 Distribution of the sand goanna Synonyms 3 Hydrosaurus gouldii Gray 1838 Monitor gouldii Schlegel 1839 Varanus gouldii A M C Dumeril amp A H A Dumeril 1851 Contents 1 Taxonomy 2 Description 3 Biology 4 Gallery 5 Citations 6 General sources 7 External linksTaxonomy editJohn Edward Gray described the species in 1838 as Hydrosaurus gouldii 3 noting the source of the type specimen as New Holland and distinguishing the new varanid by two yellow streaks on the sides of the neck and small flat scales at the orbits 2 An earlier description Tupinambis endrachtensis Peron F 1807 was determined as likely to refer to this animal but the epithet gouldii was conserved and a new specimen designated as the type 5 3 This neotype was obtained in 1997 at the near coastal Western Australian suburb of Karrakatta and placed with the British Museum of Natural History The decision of a nomenclatural commission ICZN was to issue an opinion suppressing the earlier name Tupinambis endrachtensis and the name Hydrosaurus ocellarius Blyth 1868 that were unsatisfactory to some who had commented on the case but provided taxonomic certainty for future revisions of the associated taxa 6 The specific name gouldii is assumed to be a Latinised form of the surname of an associate of the describing author the English ornithologist John Gould 7 who was actively assembling specimens of fauna from Australia but is not thought to have any direct connection to this species 5 In some Aboriginal languages the sand goanna is called bungarra 8 a term also commonly used by non Aboriginal people in Western Australia In Pitjantjatjara and other central Australian languages it is called Tingka Two subspecies are recognised Varanus gouldii gouldii Schlegel 1837 Gould s goanna Varanus gouldii flavirufus Mertens 1958 desert sand monitor Nota bene A trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the subspecies was originally described in a genus other than Varanus Description edit nbsp Eromanga Queensland A species of Varanus lizards known as monitors and goannas that is found in a variety of habitat Due to the taxonomic uncertainty during the twentieth century the species form and behaviour has included taxa later recognised as distinct species this includes V rosenbergi formerly treated as a subspecies and later elevated and V panoptes described as a new species in 1980 and resolved as a legitimate publication in 2000 6 9 Biology editGould s monitor is a terrestrial reptile that excavates large burrows for shelter Rock escarpments and tree hollows are also suitable dwellings It inhabits a vast range throughout Australia reaching an average length of 140 cm 4 6 ft and weighing as much as 6 kg 13 lb It can be found in northern and eastern Australia where they inhabit open woodlands and grasslands V g flavirufus a slightly smaller subspecies resides in Australia s interior In some places however the ranges of Gould s monitor V g flavirufus and the Argus monitor overlap The similarities between the species and their close proximity frequently cause confusion The sand monitor is a relentless forager It is diurnal meaning most of its activities take place during the day Anything smaller than itself will be eagerly devoured The diets of hatchlings and juveniles often consist mostly of insects and small lizards but generally varies more with age Adult monitors will prey on mice other small mammals small birds crustaceans scorpions large insects small lizard species snakes amphibians eggs and carrion 10 11 They have also been seen to congregate around fish kills 12 They are seemingly immune to snake venom and will kill and eat even the most venomous species such as the inland taipan The sand goanna does consume smaller species of monitors Ackies rock monitors and other dwarf species are often found and eaten It is common to see a Gould s monitor disturbing rock piles in an attempt to flush out any Odatria It lays its eggs in termite mounds to protect them from the harsh desert climate Like all goannas and snakes the sand monitor has a forked tongue with which it tastes the air Scents are picked up on each side of the fork which when retracted brushes over an area in the mouth called the Jacobson s organ which identifies on which side the scent is stronger Upon identifying this difference in scent strength the sand monitor can alter its direction accordingly A 2021 study had shown that during the Miocene Komodo dragons had hybridized with the ancestors of the sand goanna thus providing evidence that the Komodo dragon had once inhabited Australia 13 14 15 Gallery edit nbsp Sand goanna near Broken Hill nbsp Sand monitor walking tracks in sand nbsp Bungarra at the Gidgee Gold Mine nbsp Bungarra at the Sunrise Dam Gold Mine nbsp Chace ranges South Australia nbsp Mungo National Park NSW Australia nbsp Sand goanna at a camera lure nbsp Sand goanna nbsp Northern TerritoryCitations edit Craig M Doughty P Melville J 2018 Varanus gouldii IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2018 e T83778110A101752320 doi 10 2305 IUCN UK 2018 1 RLTS T83778110A101752320 en Retrieved 19 November 2021 a b Gray J E 1838 Catalogue of the Slender tongued Saurians with Descriptions of many new Genera and Species Part 3 Annals of Natural History 1 388 394 394 doi 10 1080 00222933809512320 a b c Australian Biological Resources Study 16 August 2012 Subspecies Varanus gouldii gouldii Gray 1838 Australian Faunal Directory Canberra Australian Capital Territory Department of the Environment Water Heritage and the Arts Australian Government Retrieved 11 July 2019 Wild Herps Sand Monitor Varanus gouldii Wildherps com Retrieved 16 April 2018 a b Shea G M Cogger H G 1998 Comment On The Proposed Conservation Of The Names Hydrosaurus gouldii Gray 1838 and Varanus panoptes Storr 1980 Reptilia Squamata By The Designation Of A Neotype For Hydrosaurus Gouldii The Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature 55 106 111 doi 10 5962 bhl part 159 a b International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature 31 March 2000 Opinion 1948 The Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature 57 63 65 Beolens Bo Watkins Michael Grayson Michael 2011 The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles Baltimore Johns Hopkins University Press xiii 296 pp ISBN 978 1 4214 0135 5 Varanus gouldii p 104 Flora and fauna of Australia s West Pilbara Coast Archived 2013 01 25 at the Wayback Machine Karratha Visitor Centre website accessed 30 July 2012 Pianka Eric R King Dennis R King Ruth Allen 2004 Varanoid Lizards of the World Indiana University Press pp 423 428 ISBN 9780253343666 Varanus gouldii Sand Monitor Gould s Goanna Animal Diversity Web Varanus gouldii Varanus gouldii Pavon Vazquez Carlos J Brennan Ian G Keogh J Scott 2021 A Comprehensive Approach to Detect Hybridization Sheds Light on the Evolution of Earth s Largest Lizards Systematic Biology 70 5 877 890 doi 10 1093 sysbio syaa102 PMID 33512509 Study reveals surprising history of world s largest lizard phys org Retrieved 2021 03 06 Komodo dragons not only inhabited ancient Australia but also mated with our sand monitors Australian Geographic 2021 03 03 Retrieved 2021 03 06 General sources editBush Brian Maryan Brad Browne Cooper Robert Robinson David 1995 A Guide to the Reptiles and Frogs of the Perth Region Nedlands UWA Press ISBN 1 875560 42 4 226 pp Cogger H 1967 Australian Reptiles in Colour Sydney A H amp A W Reed ISBN 0 589 07012 6 King Dennis Green Brian 1999 Goannas The Biology of Varanid Lizards University of New South Wales Press ISBN 0 86840 456 X Thompson G G 1995 Foraging patterns and behaviours body postures and movement speed for goannas Varanus gouldii Reptilia Varanidae in a semi urban environment PDF Journal of the Royal Society of Western Australia 78 4 107 114 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sand goanna Photo of Varanus gouldii at AROD com au Photo of Varanus gouldii at Pbase com Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Sand goanna amp oldid 1221146666, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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