Spencer's goanna Spencer's goanna Spencer's goanna or Spencer's monitor ("Varanus spenceri" ) is a species of monitor lizard in the family Varanidae. The species is endemic to Australia. The specific name, "spenceri", is in honor of English-Australian biologist Walter Baldwin Spencer. "V. spenceri" is native to the Barkly region in central Queensland/Northern Territory, Australia. "V. spenceri" can grow to a total length (including tail) of up to . Spencer's monitor is generally heavier than a similarly sized monitor of another species due to its "stockier" build. It has sharp claws which it uses for digging burrows. "Varanus spenceri" eats anything it can
Goanna glands had been found in both goannas and iguanas. Because the goanna regularly eats snakes (often involving a fierce struggle between the two), they are often said to be immune to snake venom. The goanna does eat venomous snakes, but no evidence found suggests an actual poison immunity. Other stories say that the lizard eats a legendary plant, or drinks from a healing spring which neutralises the poison. This is immortalised in Banjo Paterson's humorous poem "Johnson's Antidote". Possibly related to the above poison immunity, goanna fat or oil has been anecdotally imbued with mystical healing properties. Aborigines traditionally used