Sand goanna Sand goanna The sand goanna ("Varanus gouldii" ) is a species of large Australian monitor lizard, also known as Gould's monitor, the sand monitor, or racehorse goanna. In some Aboriginal languages, the sand goanna is called "bungarra", a term also commonly used by non-Aboriginal people in Western Australia. In Pitjantjatjara and other central Australian languages it is called "Tingka". The name "sand monitor" can be used to describe various other species. The specific name, "gouldii", is a Latinised form of the name of the scientist who first described this species, English ornithologist John Gould. "Nota bene": A trinomial authority in
Goanna koalas) as a tourist scarer, probably more convincing due to the reptiles' carnivorous nature and fearsome appearance. A common tale was that the bite of a goanna was infused with a powerful, incurable venom. Every year after the bite (or every seven years), the wound would flare up again. For many years, herpetologists generally believed goannas were nonvenomous, and lingering illness from their bites was due solely to infection and septicaemia as a result of their saliva being rife with bacteria from carrion and other food sources. However, in 2005, researchers at the University of Melbourne announced that oral venom