About
Australia’s largest lizard is the perentie. It is a monitor lizard, related to the largest lizard in the world, the Komodo dragon.
A perentie can sprint up to 25 mph over short distances. It is also a good swimmer. Its muscular, compressed tail is an effective defensive weapon. However, like all monitors, if the tail is lost or damaged it does not regenerate.
Perenties track prey by scent, using their forked tongues to send scent information to their vomeronasal organ.
Their teeth are long, sharp, serrated, and they curve backward to grasp and hold onto prey.
Being ectothermic, perenties rely on the environment to regulate their body temperature. Lizards in desert environments typically maintain body temperatures around 95-104°F. Terrestrial and diurnal, a perentie hunts in open country throughout a large home range, often wandering for several days away from its shelter. As the day heats up, it seeks shelter in shade or rocky outcrops.
Habitat
The perentie lives in arid regions of Australia. This lizard prefers arid, sandy deserts; gorges where it shelters in deep secluded burrows in rocky hills and outcrops; and boulders or caves where it can hide and escape the heat and cold.
Diet
These amazing monitors are carnivorous. As juveniles their diet consists of other lizards, insects, and small mammals. As they mature they eat a wider variety of prey, including highly venomous snakes. Even other perenties can fall prey to large adults. Perenties are important predators and also scavengers in their ecosystem. As these lizards feed on carrion, they prevent the spread of disease and provide some “natural recycling.”
physical characteristics
Perenties grow to an impressive size. Adult males can reach a length of eight feet and weigh as much as 26 pounds. They are covered with stunning patterns and colors from nose to tail, so much so they’ve become commonplace in aboriginal art. These are strong robust animals that are built for speed and rely heavily on their sense of smell and excellent eyesight to find prey and predators in the distance.
Location Within the Zoo
You’ll find this animal at the Dragons of Komodo habitat in the Australia section. See Zoo Map.
