Memories of Meekatharra – Original Painting

Description

Artist Statement

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Botanical Description

The perentie (Varanus giganteus) is the largest monitor lizard or goanna native to Australia, while being one of the largest living lizards on earth, growing up to 2.5m and 15kg, and lives in arid regions. 

In many Aboriginal cultures it has totem relationships, as well as being bush tucker, and its fat is used for medicinal and ceremonial purposes.

It is a top predator, without a natural predator in its range. Being a highly active carnivore it feeds mostly on reptiles, small mammals, and less commonly birds; it even kills and eat snakes. Adults feed predominantly on vertebrate prey, while the young mostly eat arthropods, especially grasshoppers. Prey is typically swallowed whole, but if it is too large, chunks are ripped off for ease of consumption.

Its bite is mildly venomous.

It lays eggs in termite mounds or in the soil.

Here it is displayed amongst flora of its habitat; mulga trees, bush bananas, paper daisies, eremophilas, sennas, mulla mullas, cotton bush, and flannel bush.