Sand Goannas - speedy reptiles
Sand Goannas are sometimes referred to as racehorse goannas because of their exceptional speed. These stunning creatures have beautifully patterned scales that set them apart.
They may be increasing in numbers as they are visiting our ponds more often.
In the 14/15 summer we had one visit to the NW Pond, in the 15/16 summer there were two visits to the SW Pond and one to the Block of Bush Pond. The 16/17 summer saw eight dates with visits to four ponds (the 3 mentioned and the creek pond). In the start of the 17/18 summer there have already been ten dates with visits at two ponds.
This footage starts at the creek pond with our most recent footage and goes back through time. The high quality footage in the first videos comes from the same type of new camera described in our previous post (Bushnell model number: 119876C).
Next you see lovely close-up footage from the SW Pond followed by videos from the NW and Block of Bush ponds. Lastly is the more distant SW pond footage which gives a great feel for these interesting characters. All the footage is of young individuals, we hope that they get to grow to full size adults.
When threatened, Sand Goannas will usually disappear into the nearest burrow. They shelter in rabbit burrows and eat rabbits. Sand Goannas also build their own burrows and openings are up to about 8 to 9cm high and are curved at the top and flat at the bottom. Three to ten eggs are laid in a chamber which is dug by the female.
Sand Goannas reach an average length of 140 cm (4.6 ft) and can weigh as much as 6 kg (13 lb). They are relentless foragers with most of their activities taking place during the day. Anything smaller than it will be eagerly devoured.
Sand Goannas have an extremely keen sense of smell, and use their long, forked tongues to explore their environment. When hunting for food, they keep their snout close to the ground, and flick their tongue in and out, using scent to find any hidden prey underground.
The diets of juveniles consist mostly of insects and small lizards. Older Sand Goannas also prey on mice, small birds, young rabbits, snakes and carrion. They are seemingly immune to snake venom and will kill and eat even the most venomous species.
Their exceptionally strong legs are just made for digging, and they put their sharp claws and snout to work, too.
When breeding occurs, the male goanna locates the burrow of a female and builds a burrow of his own a few meters away. Over several days the male and female spend an increasing amount of time together. Eventually, they begin to copulate. They continue to mate over and over again for several days. During this period of intense breeding activity, the pair may share the same burrow. After many days the intensity of copulation declines and the Sand Goannas separate and forage independently. When it is time to lay the eggs, the female locates an active termite mound. She lays her eggs at the end of a tunnel in the mound. Afterwards she refills the tunnel, and the termites reconstruct the mound around the goanna eggs. The termites regulate the temperature and humidity, so this is an excellent place for development of the eggs.
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