What is a perentie?
The perentie is Australia's largest lizard and one of the largest monitor lizards in the world. It lives in the deserts and rocky ranges of central and western Australia and can grow over two metres long.
Perenties have yellow-brown skin covered in a pattern of cream spots edged with dark brown. They are fast runners and can stand on their hind legs and tail to look over grass for prey or danger.
They hunt reptiles, birds, mammals such as rabbits and young kangaroos, and also eat carrion. Their strong claws and serrated teeth make them powerful predators.
Desert life
Perenties shelter in burrows, rock crevices and caves, especially in rocky ranges such as the MacDonnells. They are shy and rarely seen, despite their size.
Perenties feature in the stories and diet of many desert Aboriginal peoples, and they are an important traditional food in some areas.
Worldwide, only the Komodo dragon and a few other monitor species grow larger. Perenties can live for decades, and females lay eggs in burrows or termite mounds, where the warmth helps them develop. The lizard is often mistaken for the smaller sand goanna, which shares much of its range.
Did You Know?
Some scientists have suggested that perenties and other monitors have weak venom glands.