I was thrilled to discover recently that a beautiful Gould’s Goanna (Varanus gouldii)
has made a burrow at the edge of the brick paving on our verandah. This
local reptile is relatively common in bushland around the Perth hills
but I’ve rarely seen them in modified gardens (like ours) which are not
adjoining bush remnants. This animal is quite young, maybe a couple of
years old, and still has very vivid markings across his back.
I suspect this goanna
dispersed from his nest in nearby bush as a hatchling and found our
place had lots of plant cover, so decided to stay. Now he’s grown to a
reasonable size and we’ve noticed him because he’s made his home very
close to ours! Not only is it exciting to see this beautiful animal, but
we know he will help us in the garden by eating many pest species like
insects and mice. Goanna diet also includes other small reptiles and
birds’ eggs.
Young goannas such as this
are very wary around their burrows, and will sit at the entrance looking
for danger before emerging. The slightest movement nearby can make them
dash back inside for protection! If you catch them away from a burrow,
they will rush away at great speed, which is why they acquired the
nickname ‘Racehorse Goanna’.
I managed to snap this
first photo of our fella from inside our lounge room, which allows you
to get quite close without him seeing. Later in the afternoon I saw him
in the garden bed a few metres from his burrow, and snuck slowly through
the rocks with my big lens to grab a nice close head shot.
How cool is it to be sharing your space with such a beautiful reptile!
