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| Goanna
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a lace monitor on a tree | ||||||||||||||
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| Several, see text. |
Being predatorThis snapping turtle is trying to make a mealof a Canada goose, but the goose is too wary. A predator is an animal or other organism that hunts and kills other organisms for food in an act called predation . Most predators are carnivores. Some predators ay lizards, goannas are often quite large, or at least bulky, with sharp teethTooth plural teeth are hard structures found in the jaws of many of the higher animals. They have various structures to allow them to fulfill different purposes. The primary funtion of teeth is to tear and chew food and in some animals, particularly carni and clawA claw is a curved pointed growth found at the end of a toe or finger, or in arthropods, of the tarsus. The claws of arthropods are sometimes called pincers . In tetrapods, claws are made of keratin, and consist of two layers. The unguis is the harder exts. The largest is the Perentie (Varanus giganteus), which can grow over 2 m in length. They prey on all manner of small animals; insects, lizards, snakes, mammals, birds, eggs. Meals are often eaten whole, and thus the size of their meals depends on the size of the animal itself. However, the Perentie has been observed killing a young kangaroo, and then biting out chunks of flesh like a dog. Goannas have even been blamed for the death of sheep by farmers, though most likely erroneously, as goannas are also eaters of carrion and attracted to rotting meat.
Not all goannas are gargantuan. Pygmy goannas may be smaller than a man's arm. The smallest of these, the short-tailed monitor (Varanus brevicuda) reaches only 20 cm in length. They survive on smaller prey such as insects and mice.
Most goannas are dark in colouration, whites, greys, blacks and greens featuring prominently. Many desert dwelling species also feature yellow-red tones. Camouflage ranges from bands and stripes to splotches, speckles and circles, and can change as the creature matures; juveniles sometimes being brighter than adults.
Like most lizards, goannas lay eggs. Most lay eggs in a nest or burrow, but some species lay their eggs inside termite mounds. This offers protection and incubation, additionally the termites may provide a meal for the young as they hatch. Unlike other species of lizards, goannas do not have the abilty to regrow limbs or tails.