Only in Australia! Eric Holland was working in his shed in Thurgoona, New South Wales, when he spotted something running across his property. At first he was surprised by the size of the animal and thought “bloody hell, what is this thing” before recovering from the shock and running inside for his camera so he could snap a photo.
MONITORING
Only in Australia: A mature Lace Goanna (a monitor lizard) was spotted on a residential property in…
Posted by Frans de Waal – Public Page on Friday, December 4, 2015
It turns out the creature clinging to the side of his house was a giant lizard known as the Lace Goanna (or monitor lizard). The lizards usually live in the bush and are wary of humans, which is probably a good thing, because people should be wary of them too. Their bites are septic and potentially dangerous and they have sharp teeth and claws. You can see in the photo how sharp those claws are as it perches on the side of Eric’s house!
Lace Monitors can grow up to 6.5 feet (2 m) in length and weigh up to 45 pounds (20 Kg). According to the Facebook post, “Their bite is septic and if you want to corner one, you will find out how sharp their teeth and claws are. They are known to stand up on their hind legs in battle. I’ve heard stories that if there are no trees around for them to run up to get away, they will run up a person.”
Eek! I’ll never complain about the critters around my house again!
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