Goanna

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richman
Goanna

Here is a goanna I saw at Calna Creek Saturday. Handsome chap.

Araminta
Araminta's picture

I just love Goannas. We alway had them come in our garden to drink out of the dog bowl . Sadly since the last big fires, I haven't seen any. Thanks Richardyes

M-L

Woko
Woko's picture

Any goanna sightings in your neck of the woods would be well worth reporting as an indicator of wildlife recovery after bushfires, Araminta, especially where bushland & forest is fragmented due to human activity.

Araminta
Araminta's picture

Woko, in my neck of the woods you will find any wildlife most people can only dream of. I'm right next to the Bunyip State Park. There is no fragmentation, we are just so lucky.I have snakes of all kinds, Wallabies, Wombats,Echidnas , Owls, Gliders, Lyrebirds..... the list goes on and on. Since last week I have heard two Powrful Owls calling, haven't heard the Barking Owl yet. (but I worry every year about them, they will call soon) I saw a Goanna two years ago (after the fires), but only a small one. Haven't seen a huge one that used to come quite often. It's just that I worry too much about the missing wildlife sometimescrying, and then they might turn up.

M-L

Woko
Woko's picture

Usually populations of native animals recover after bush fires if given the chance. However, lots depends on the refuges they have when the fire occurs & what humans do with the native vegetation which recovers from the bush fires. Far too often after bushfires there's an upsurge in bush destruction in order to protect those who have chosen to get away from it all by living in the bush! With the destruction & fragmentation of native bushland & forests the refuges for wildlife are becoming fewer & of lower quality. This is why sightings of native species is so important after bush fires because the sightings relate to their populations recovering or not recovering.

Araminta, you're indeed fortunate to live next to a relatively large, relatively unfragemented piece of natural bushland although I note that when I used Google Earth to take a gander at the Bunyip State Park it immediately focused on what I presume to be a wide fire track cut through the park. (By increasing the amount of light reaching the ground & by disturbing the soil in making the fire track the track itself has encouraged the invasion of feral annual weeds which dry off in summer & become a fire hazard! But that's another story for another soap box). Further west, it's clear that bush fragementation has occurred big time & the refuges for native wildlife will be fewer & poorer in those areas. But given your proximity to the extensive Bunyip State Park I'm curious about why you've had fewers sightings of goannas but still have lots of sightings of snakes, wallabies etc.

ihewman
ihewman's picture

Monitors are like the ultimate all-terrain vehicle... they can swim, climb and run really fast!

Brandon (aka ihewman)

Araminta
Araminta's picture

I know how fast they can run, but they will run up a tree. Not a good place to be in an extremely hot bushfire that comes at them from all directions. So, if they try to outrun the fire they will run into the next one. This is what Black Saturday was like.

M-L

Annie W
Annie W's picture

He's a beauty richman!  One thing I miss now I live in Tas (I used to live in W.A. for a while), are the lizards & gecko's - possibly though, I just haven't found the right places here.  Thanks for sharing!

West Coast Tasmania

greviousbh
greviousbh's picture

I have to admit to a dislike because they steal my chooks eggs and kill the young baby chicks before I can grow them, kill and eat them myself !  :(

That asdie, saw two males fighting in the front yard a couple years ago, manged to snap a quick pic.

Not so many of them in North Qld (where I was from originally)  as the prevelance of cane toads killed many of them off.  Here (Northern Rivers area of NSW) they are everywhere, I see 2 - 5 a day in summer on our property

shoop
shoop's picture

Wow look at that wrestling , wouldn't want to get in the middle of that. Fantastic capture . I would love to be able to witness something like that right in front if my eyes. I did see a large gonna once while driving home from Denmark WA it ran straight under the car, but we were going too fast to stop and it disappeared as fast as it did appear.  Would love to see more photos of your goannas now the summer is coming.

Kerry - Perth, Western Australia.

lee
lee's picture

I just caught the tail end of Bondi Vet last night & missed seeing Lisa stitch up the neck of a young monitor.

I only saw her return it to the owner & noticed the stitches around its neck where the other enclosed goanna had tried to bite its hed off. It's sad to see such beautiful reptiles in enclosures & crazy to see the carers were returning the injured one to the same enclosure

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