One really big lizard (updated June 2024)
What is a Monitor?
A monitor is a large lizard native to Africa, Asia and Australia.
Lace Monitor
The Lace Monitor is the second largest lizard in Australia, after the Perentie. It can reach more than two metres (6 feet) in length. In Australia, they are also known as Goannas.
They are both terrestrial and arboreal. When threatened, they can quickly run up a tree to safety. Their long, strong claws dig into a tree to make climbing easy, as you can see in the photo above.
Monitors eat a variety of food, including insects, other reptiles, small mammals, bird eggs, and baby birds. They also eat carrion. Dingoes and raptors prey on them.
They have a variety of colours but fall mainly into two distinct types: light to dark grey and light tan with black stripes. Note that this Lace Monitor, on top of a telephone pole, is much lighter and more yellow than the grey one in the top photo.
The Lace Monitor can be found anywhere along the east coast of Australia.
One of the Biggest
There are only a few lizards bigger than the Lace Monitor. These include the giant Komodo Dragon, the Asian Water Dragon, the Crocodile Monitor, and the Perentie. So far, the Lace Monitor is the biggest lizard that I have seen in the wild.