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 goanna oil as an important bush medicine, and it also became a common medicine among Caucasians in Australia's early days. Said to be a cure-all, and possessing amazing powers of penetration (passing through metal as if it were not there), it was sold among early settlers like snake oil in the Old West of North America. A goanna features as the heroic figure ‘Mr Lizard’ in the Australian author May Gibbs’ children’s books Snugglepot and Snugglepie. A bronze statue of the goanna ‘Mr Lizard’ has been placed outside the State Library of Victoria. Goanna A goanna is any of several