Written by Myle
Could you imagine running speedily in a race alongside the fourth largest lizard on Earth today that can run over 20 mph [32 kmph] ?! Monitors are the kings of lizard and the biggest one in Australia is the Perentie.
The Big Lizard of Australia
Roaming the arid parts of the SA, WA, QLD and the NT. The Perentie is native to Australia although it is rarely seen because of its shyness. It lives in the rocky outcrops and gorges that have loose stones and hard packed soil.
Deadly Carnivore
The Perentie is carnivorous [which means it eats meat]. They will almost eat anything they can overpower such as small mammals, birds and other reptiles. The Perenties technique of hunting is that they will wait for prey, lunge at it grabbing its prey with its teeth and shakes it violently to death. Then swallows its prey whole.
Survival Skills
This creature lives in the arid parts of Australia and uses it camouflage to blend in with its desert like environment. The Perentie is also a fast moving creature so it can out run its predators. If it can’t it will play dead. It will use its tail as a whip to defend its self or lunge out pretending to bite, to scare away a potential predator.
Unharmed Lizards
Luckily, for the Perentie it has no major dangers. Although it was a favoured food for the desert Aboriginal tribes using its fat for medicinal and ceremonial purposes. The total population of Perenties in 2021 is a whopping two million, sixty seven thousand, three hundred and thirty three[2,067,333].
