Varanus Baritji
King & Horner 1987 |
White's goanna (baritj is an aboriginal word for white and the lizard is named after its discoverer Dr Neville White) is a small spiny-tailed monitor known at present only from the extreme north of the Northern Territory. It can be '0 distinguished from V.acanthurus only on the basis of its pattern and colour. V.baritji lacks the light ocellated markings on the back associated with V.acanthurus and also lacks the light and dark dorsal neck stripes. V.baritji has a bright yellow underside, Like V.acanthurus it favours areas of rocky outcrops and has been collected under both limestone and granite. A specimen caught in early June laid three eggs in captivity. Maximum known length is 72cm TL (25cm SVL) (King & Horner 1987). According to Thissen (1992) Swanson's (1976) picture of V.acanthurus is actually V.baritji.
Attribution / Courtesy: Daniel Bennett. 1995. A Little Book of Monitor Lizards. Viper Press U.K.
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