Perentie
The perentie is one of the largest lizards alive, and the largest in Australia. It lives in the dry deserts of the west, centre and north of the country, where it is rarely seen. It is a powerful hunter that eats a wide range of animals, and it is important in many Aboriginal cultures.1

見分け方
- Head and neck are creamy-white with a net-like (reticulated) pattern of black lines and flecks.1
- Body is yellow or cream, with brown rosette markings on the back.1
- Limbs are dark with white spots.1
- Very lean for a large monitor, so much less bulky than a rock monitor of similar length.1
よくまちがえられるのは: Rock monitors can reach a similar length, but they are much bulkier. Perenties are very lean for their size.1
毒パワー
かむときに、毒が牙や歯から出るよ。
その毒(かむ・刺す毒)はどうなるの?
Researchers at the University of Melbourne found in 2005 that monitors may be somewhat venomous, which means they inject mild venom with a bite. A perentie bite can cause swelling within minutes, localised disruption of blood clotting (the blood's ability to clot is affected in the area), and shooting pain up to the elbow that can last several hours.1
人にとってどれくらい危険?
人への危険: 痛いすごく痛いこともあるけど、深刻になることはほとんどないよ。The bite can do much damage, not only from the teeth but also from the oral secretions.1
こわいとき、どうするの?
If threatened, a perentie will usually freeze flat on the ground or run away. If cornered, it stands its ground, inflates its throat, hisses, strikes with its tail, and may lunge with its mouth open.1
安全に過ごそう
- 野生の動物には、小さくても、ねているように見えても、死んでいるように見えても、ぜったいにさわったり、つかまえたり、からかったりしないこと。
- 近づかないで。出会ったら落ちついて、ゆっくりあとずさりして、そのまま行かせてあげよう。
- かまれたら:落ちついて、じっとして、救急番号(112、000、911)に電話するか、急いで病院へ行こう。見た目をおぼえておいてね。写真があると役に立つよ。
きみをねらっているわけじゃないよ。毒はエサをとったり身を守ったりするために使うだけで、本当はかくれていたいんだ。 安全に過ごすためにもっと知ろう
どれくらい大きい?
どれくらい長い?
どれくらい重い?
犬2.5匹を鼻からしっぽまでならべた長さ
バナナ14本をたてにならべた長さ
100 mを20秒で走れる(いちばん速い人間は9.6秒)Perentieは、きみとくらべてどれくらい大きい?
ブラウザで計算しているだけ。何も保存されないし、どこにも送られないよ。
どれくらい速い?
データ
Perenties eat other monitor lizards, including a 2 m perentie that was seen killing and eating a 1.5 m one.1
They often stand on their back legs and tail to get a better view, a behaviour called "tripoding".1
Perenties are among the largest living lizards, after the Komodo dragon, Asian water monitor and crocodile monitor.1
Perenties can dig a burrow for shelter in only minutes.1
The species was first named the "gigantic water lizard", even though it lives in dry desert country.1
The perentie has long been important to desert Aboriginal peoples, who ate it as food and used its fat for medicinal and ceremonial purposes.1
うそ・ほんとう
うそ: Monitor lizard bites were thought to cause problems only because of infection from bacteria in the animal's mouth.
ほんとう: Researchers showed that the immediate effects of monitor bites, including swelling and pain, are caused by mild envenomation.1
事実の出典
- Perentie (Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0))
- Varanus giganteus (iNaturalist): 名前と分類。
- Venom Wiki: 危険レベル、ふつうの大きさ、スピードの予想は、わたしたち独自のものだよ。どうやって決めているかはこちら: 危険度のつけ方.
このページのどの事実にも、出典をしめす番号がついているよ。まちがいがあったらごめんね、わたしたちは動物好きで、科学雑誌じゃないんだ。[email protected]に教えてくれたら直すよ。
かむ


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