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Alexander Dudley | all galleries >> Aussie reptiles >> Aussie Lizards >> Goannas or Monitor Lizards, family Varanidae > Varanus panoptes
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Alexander Dudley

Varanus panoptes

Goose Camp, Kakadu National Park, NT, Australia

These Yellow-spotted monitors (Galawan in Gundjeihmii) are one of the chief predators of the floodplains of Kakadu, feeding on
carrion, invertebrates, reptiles (including turtle and crocodile eggs), birds, and small mammals. In turn they are hunted by the
traditional owners of Kakadu who regard them as a favourite food. They are illustrated in many of the rock painting galleries
around the park because of their cultural importance. Sadly, the susceptibility of these lizards to the poisonous Cane toads (Bufo
marinus) has been well docmented, and these lizards have been all but wiped out in Kakadu since this photo was taken.
This specimen was photographed on a "Kakadu Animal Tracks" tour, an excellent and exclusive bush tucker and Aboriginal
Cultural tour operating within the Buffallo Farm within Kakadu National Park.


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