Lace Monitor aka The Egg Thief

Lace Monitor (Varanus varius) at Jarowair aka Goanna the chicken egg thief.

The Lace Monitor (Varanus varius) aka Goanna population is very healthy at Jarowair, with daily vists over the warmer months from many different sized ones to the chicken pen to steal the eggs, if no one has gotten around to collect them. From time to time we have had a frustrated lace monitor go for one of the chickens instead which has caused complete mayhem in the chicken pen, and quite often devastation for one of the older hens. On this day, I had the camera already out and decided to try and take a few photos of the large lace monitor leaving the pen with a full belly of eggs and heading back to his tree hollow.


Lace Monitors are truly beautiful creatures and their vibrant yellow and back patterns vary with spots and stripes - they really are quite exquisite when you stop and take notice of these surprisingly well camouflaged reptiles of Australia.


While Lace monitors can be predators themselves, juvenile lace montitors are often predated on by roming or feral cats and birds of prey also. They start off quite small when they have hatched from their eggs inside a termite tree mound and I wonder how old one would be like the size of the one photographed today.... many years I would think.


Judi Gray