Perentie (Varanus giganteus) |Also known as:||parenthie,
perente, perenty| |Size||Length: up to 2.5 m (2)| |Weight||up to
6 kg (3)| - The perentie is the world’s second largest lizard. -
Reaching speeds of up to 40 kilometres per hour, the perentie
runs at about the same speed as an Olympic sprinter. - As well
as running fast on all fours, the perentie is also able to run
on just its two hind legs. - The skin pattern of the perentie is
said to be the inspiration for a particular style of Aboriginal
woodcarving. The perentie has not yet been assessed by the IUCN,
but is listed on Appendix II of CITES (4). Also known as a
monitor or a goanna (5), the perentie (Varanus giganteus) is
Australia’s largest lizard (3). It has creamy colouration,
becoming browner on the upperparts with age, occasionally with a
reddish tinge (6). The body and tail are darkly speckled and
have transverse bands of pale, dark-edged spots (7), occurring
from the neck to two-thirds of the way down the tail (6). The
perentie has black lines