perentie, perente (Varanus giganteus) Description
The zoology of the voyage of the H.M.S. Erebus & Terror, under the command of Captain Sir James Clark Ross, during the years 1839 to 1843. By authority of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty. Edited by John Richardson and John Edward Gray.
Date 1844-1875.
Source http://www.flickr.com/photos/biodivlibrary/10327847335
Author Erebus (Ship).; Gray, John Edward; Richardson, John; Ross, James Clark; Terror (Ship).
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_zoology_of_the_voyage_of_the_H.M.S._Erebus_and_Terror_(10327847335).jpg
The perentie (or perente) (Varanus giganteus) is the largest monitor lizard or goanna native to Australia, and the fourth-largest living lizard on earth, after the Komodo dragon, Asian water monitor, and the crocodile monitor. Found west of the Great Dividing Range in the arid areas of Australia, they are not a common sight because of their shyness and the remoteness of much of their range from human habitation. Perenties are found in the arid desert areas of Western Australia, South Australia, the Northern Territory, and Queensland. Their habitats consist of rocky outcroppings and gorges, with hard-packed soil and loose stones. Order: Squamata, Suborder: Lacertilia, Family: Varanidae, Genus: Varanus, Subgenus: Varanus, Species: Varanus giganteus (Gray, 1845).