Edward H. Carpenter pfp
Edward H. Carpenter

@ehcarpenter

I took a video of a Lace Monitor in a clearing in the DaintreeRainforest! These reptiles, (Varanus varius) get their common name from the “lace-like” pattern on their skin - but their colloquial name, "tree goanna" has a more interesting derivation! Early colonists thought that monitor lizards were iguanas (which are actually found only in the Americas and Caribbean) - and their mispronounciation 'goanna' stuck in the language. The lace monitor is a strong climber, and is often found in trees - hence the colloquial "tree goanna"
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