Varanus giganteus

1 Overview

The Perentie favors dry grasslands and has a very large appetite. This lizard is skilled at standing on its hind legs, supporting itself with its tail, and can sprint quickly over short distances.

Chinese name: Perentie

Binomial name: Varanus giganteus

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Reptilia

Order: Squamata

Family: Varanidae

Genus: Varanus

Species: Perentie

Distribution: Australia and surrounding regions.

2 Physical Characteristics

The most distinctive feature of the Perentie is its prominent large markings, and it is the largest lizard species in Australia, reaching a maximum length of 2.5 m and a maximum weight of 20 kg.

The Perentie takes its name from the eye-like spots covering its body (interpreted in Japan as water-drop patterns). The unusual shape of its eyelids gives its face a melancholy expression, an interesting and charming trait of the species. Perenties average 1.75 to 2 m in length and weigh around 15 kg. They are heavier and sturdier than the Asian water monitor but shorter in build, and more slender compared with the Komodo dragon or Salvador’s monitor.

3 Behavior & Habitat

The Perentie is so named because it is larger than typical lizards. Whatever your reason for acquiring one, it is worth calmly considering before purchase the price, the housing requirements, the cost of food, your family’s views, and the patience needed to tame a Perentie, including the risk of being bitten, all matters a first-time keeper should reflect on.

Giving a Perentie too much space can sometimes increase its defiance and make it harder to handle, while too little space reduces its activity and slows its growth, prolonging the shedding cycle. We cannot recreate its wild habitat (your home is not the outback), but providing at least this much should be considered good.

The substrate can be a mix of sterile soil with a little calcium sand and red clay (roughly in a 6:1:3 ratio), or dried grass (though droppings are then harder to clean), together with a large water basin and one or two small branches (not too many).

4 Care Guidelines

The Perentie is mainly distributed in Australia, yet surprisingly it is rarely seen there, as it dislikes areas with people and hides whenever it encounters humans. An Australian legend claims the Perentie is immune to venomous snake bites, but this has never been confirmed by experiment.

It was once believed that infections from Perentie bites came from bacteria in the mouth. However, a 2005 study found that similar infections, rapid swelling, localized failure to clot, stinging, and other symptoms lasting several hours, occur after bites from the ornate monitor, Komodo dragon, and banded tree monitor. It is now believed the symptoms are caused by a mild toxin.

Perenties frequently support themselves on their hind legs and tail alone to better observe their surroundings. They run very fast, moving on all fours or on their hind legs alone.

5 Feeding Requirements

The Perentie needs little worry when it comes to diet; under normal circumstances it will actively forage on its own, hunting patiently and seizing the right moment and place to swallow small animals.

The Perentie’s prey includes insects, reptiles of its own kind, birds, bird eggs, small mammals, and carrion. Larger Perenties can tackle bigger prey such as small kangaroos.