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Varanus giganteus (GRAY, 1845)

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Higher TaxaVaranidae, Platynota, Varanoidea, Anguimorpha, Sauria, Squamata (lizards)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: Perentie 
SynonymHydrosaurus giganteus GRAY 1845: 13
Varanus giganteus — BOULENGER 1885: 320
Varanus (Varanus) giganteus — MERTENS 1942
Varanus giganteus — STORR 1980: 254
Varanus giganteus — COGGER 1983
Titanzius giganteus — WELLS & WELLINGTON 1985: 22
Varanus giganteus — DE LISLE 1996: 125
Varanus giganteus — COGGER 2000: 362
Varanus giganteus — WILSON & SWAN 2010
Varanus (Varanus) giganteus — BUCKLITSCH et al. 2016: 50 
DistributionAustralia (Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia)

Type locality: N coast of Australia  
Reproductionoviparous 
TypesHolotype: BMNH 1.22a 
DiagnosisDiagnosis: A very large ground monitor (up to 2 m long) with tail strongly compressed, back with transverse rows of large pale spots, and under surface with a dark reticulum. Further distinguishable from V. gouldii, V. panoptes and V. rosenbergi by the narrow parallel-sided snout, nostril about twice as far from orbit as snout, and more numerous midbody scale rows and subdigital lamellae. (Storr 1980: 254)


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Comment 
EtymologyPresumably named after the Greek gigas (giant), referring to the very large size of the species. (G. Shea, pers. comm., 9 Feb 2024) 
References
  • Bennet, D.F. 2003. Australische Warane. Reptilia (Münster) 8 (43): 18-25 - get paper here
  • Bennet, D.F. 2003. Australian Monitors. Reptilia (GB) (30): 12-19 - get paper here
  • Böhme,W. 2003. Checklist of the living monitor lizards of the world (family Varanidae). Zoologische Verhandelingen 341: 6-43 - get paper here
  • Boulenger, G.A. 1885. Catalogue of the lizards in the British Museum (Natural History). Vol. 2, Second edition. London, xiii+497 pp. - get paper here
  • Bredl, J. & Horn, H.-G. 1987. Über die Nachzucht des australischen Riesenwarans Varanus giganteus (GRAY 1845) (Sauria: Varanidae). Salamandra 23 (2-3): 90-96 - get paper here
  • Cogger, H. G. 2014. Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia, 7th ed. CSIRO Publishing, xxx + 1033 pp. - get paper here
  • Cogger, H.G. 2000. Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia, 6th ed. Ralph Curtis Publishing, Sanibel Island, 808 pp.
  • Eidenmüller, Bernd 2013. Von Darwin nach Alice Springs – der Warane wegen. Draco 13 (53): 55-61 - get paper here
  • FRÝDLOVÁ, PETRA and DANIEL FRYNTA 2010. A test of Rensch’s rule in varanid lizards. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 100: 293–306 - get paper here
  • Gray, J. E. 1845. Catalogue of the specimens of lizards in the collection of the British Museum. Trustees of die British Museum/Edward Newman, London: xxvii + 289 pp. - get paper here
  • Horn, H.-G. & Visser, G. J. 1988. Freilandbeobachtungen und einige morphometrische Angaben zu Varanus giganteus (GRAY 1845). Salamandra 24 (2-3): 102-118 - get paper here
  • Houston, T. F. 1978. Dragon Lizards and Goannas of South Australia. Adelaide: South Australian Museum 84 pp.
  • Iannucci, Alessio; Marie Altmanová, Claudio Ciofi, Malcolm Ferguson-Smith, Massimo Milan, Jorge Claudio Pereira, James Pether, Ivan Rehák, Michail Rovatsos, Roscoe Stanyon, Petr Velenský, Petr Ráb, Lukáš Kratochvíl & Martina Johnson Pokorná 2019. Conserved sex chromosomes and karyotype evolution in monitor lizards (Varanidae). Heredity 123, 215–227 - get paper here
  • Madonald, S. 2007. Observations on the stomach Contents of a road-killed perentie, Varanus giganteus in Western Queensland. Biawak 1 (1): 21-23 - get paper here
  • Maryan, B., Gaikhorst, G., & Parkhurst, B. 2024. The terrestrial herpetofauna of the Zuytdorp coast and hinterland of Western Australia: Exceptional richness in a global biodiversity hotspot. Western Australian Naturalist, 33, 3
  • Mertens, R. 1942. Die Familie der Warane (Varanidae), 3. Teil: Taxonomie. Abh. Senckenb. naturf. Ges., 466: 235-391
  • Mertens, R. 1958. Bemerkungen über die Warane Australiens. Senckenbergiana biologica 39: 229-264
  • Moroa, Dorian & Isobel MacAulaya 2014. Computer-Aided Pattern Recognition of Large Reptiles as a Noninvasive Application to Identify Individuals. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science<br>17 (2): 125-135; DOI:10.1080/10888705.2014.883925 - get paper here
  • PACKARD, GARY C. and THOMAS J. BOARDMAN 2009. Bias in interspecific allometry: examples from morphological scaling in varanid lizards. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2009, 96, 296–305. - get paper here
  • Pianka, E. R. and D. R. King, eds. 2004. Varanoid Lizards of the World. Indiana University Press, 599 pp - get paper here
  • Pianka, E.R. 2003. Die Warane der australischen Wüste. Reptilia (Münster) 8 (43): 29-35 - get paper here
  • Pianka, E.R. 2003. Australian Desert Varanids. Reptilia (GB) (30): 20-26 - get paper here
  • Rhind, D; Doody, J S; Clulow, S; Godwin, C; Bartek, B & Murray, C; 2019. Varanus giganteus (Perentie) Diet. Herpetological Review 50 (2): 382 - get paper here
  • Storr G M 1980. The monitor lizards (genus Varanus Merrem, 1820) of Western Australia. Rec. West. Aust. Mus. 8 (2): 237-293 - get paper here
  • Strimple, Peter D.;Strimple, Jane L. 1996. Australia's largest goanna: the perentie. Reptiles 4 (2): 76-87
  • Wilson, S. & Swan, G. 2010. A complete guide to reptiles of Australia, 3rd ed. Chatswood: New Holland, 558 pp.
 
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