What is a Goanna Lizard?
Just When I Think I Know Enough, I Learn Something New
I hope that is always the case - for my whole life!
Last Friday I was fortunate to accompany my Year Two students on an excursion to the Gibberagong Environmental Education Centre. It was a lovely day full of learning for both the students and for me!
First - here is a link to the website for Gibberagong:
I continue to be amazed at the enrichment opportunities offered to the students both within and outside of school. In addition to this excursion just this term we have had an Indigenous Australian Cultural Incursion, gymnastics classes provided by the YMCA, and a wonderful program called Life Education. Here is the website for the Life Education program which my students thoroughly enjoyed:
But now - let me get back to Gibberagong! This was a day of walking through preserved Australian bush land, learning about the environment, how the Indigenous Australians lived, and all about the native plants and animals that call this area home. We saw brush turkeys, kangaroos, wallabies, and lots of different birds, and insects. Here are some photos of our excursion:
Our guide told us all about the different types of gum trees in the area and how the indigenous people used them for medicinal purposes. We even got to taste some of the peppermint eucalyptus oil from the Peppermint Gum Tree.
We also learned about the brush turkey. The male builds a very large nest so that the hen can place her eggs around the nest and not all in one place to prevent predators from getting all of the eggs at once. The male brush turkey tends to the nest and adds brush as needed to keep the eggs warmed as they are incubating. When the baby turkeys hatch, they climb out of the brushy nest and then must care for themselves. He told us that one of the predators was a type of lizard, but I must not have been listening too carefully at the time because I was thinking about how you would decide which one of your offspring would go where in the nest, and that you would probably lose at least one even though they were spread around! The not listening part will become more important a bit further along our path.
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| Brush Turkey - Male - Who Tends the Nest |
We then continued down the path observing all we could of the bush land environment so near the urban center. The most amazing thing that we saw all day took me by surprise! We were walking along and all of a sudden this thing started walking towards us!
It was at least 3.5-4 feet long and sat up about 2 feet tall! I cried, "Oh my" to the guide, Mr. David! I said,"What is that?" He said, "Oh - that is the Goanna Lizard,the predator of the brush turkey eggs." I knew I should have been listening more carefully when he was talking about the brush turkey eggs earlier! I said - "Did you say Iguana?" He said, "No, Goanna." I said, "Well he is very close to us - is he dangerous?" He said, "Naw - but don't get over close to him." I was thinking - "he is mighty close to us!" The children were stopped, just looking at him. It was apparent that several of them knew about the Goanna because none of them seemed alarmed. It was one of those moments when your "world view" changes just a bit. I did not know that a lizard of that size roamed freely since the days of the dinosaurs! As soon as I got home I just had to do some research on the Goanna Lizard!
A goanna is any of several Australian monitor lizards of the genus Varanus, as well as certain species from Southeast Asia.
Around 30 species of goanna are known, 25 of which are found in Australia. This varied group of carnivorous reptiles ranges greatly in size and fills several ecological niches.
The goanna features prominently in Aboriginal mythology and Australian folklore.
Being predatory lizards, goannas are often quite large, or at least bulky, with sharp teeth and claws. The largest is the perentie (V. giganteus), which can grow over 2.5 m (8.2 ft) in length.
Not all goannas are gargantuan. Pygmy goannas may be smaller than a man's arm. The smallest of these, the short-tailed monitor(Varanus brevicuda) reaches only 20 cm in length. They survive on smaller prey, such as insects and mice.
Goannas combine predatory and scavenging behaviours. A goanna will prey on any animal it can catch and is small enough to eat whole. Goannas have been blamed for the death of sheep by farmers, though most likely erroneously, as goannas are also eaters ofcarrion and are attracted to rotting meat.
Most goannas are dark-coloured, with greys, browns, blacks and greens featuring prominently; however, white is also common. Many desert-dwelling species also feature yellow-red tones. Camouflage ranges from bands and stripes to splotches, speckles, and circles, and can change as the creature matures, with juveniles sometimes being brighter than adults.
Like most lizards, goannas lay eggs. Most lay eggs in a nest or burrow, but some species lay their eggs inside termite mounds. This offers protection and incubation; additionally, the termites may provide a meal for the young as they hatch. Unlike some other species of lizards, goannas do not have the ability to regrow limbs or tails.
Here are some wonderful memory photos of our excursion to Gibberagong Environmental Education Center!
It was truly a day to remember!
Fun Day in Jilliby, NSW
Finally - we spent a splendid day with friends Brian and Kim Jackson and their three girls on Saturday. Brian and Kim are recently arrived teachers on exchange from Colorado. They are here on a July, 2016 - June, 2017 exchange. They are living about 1.5 hours north of us in a country area called Jilliby near Wyong, New South Wales. Brian is a teacher in Jefferson County, and Kim is from Adams 12 north of Denver. They are a delightful family and are already enjoying this adventure in Oz. Their triplet daughters are in year 6 at the primary school where they are both teaching. The girls seem to be settling in and having fun with their new friends and activities. We went to an interesting little collection of businesses called the Wyong Milk Factory near their home. It has a chocolate factory, a cheese factory, and a nice restaurant. Here are some photos of our day in Jilliby, NSW!
Brian and Kim Jackson and Girls
Next Week's Blog will be Late
Now - I have to tell you about next week's blog - it will be late! Mitch and I have been asked to accompany the Beaumont Road School Student Leaders (8 year six students) and the principal, Malcolm McDonald on a trip to Mungo National Park for a Youth Leadership Conference. The eleven of us will fly to Mildura, NSW on Tuesday (30th), stay the night in Gol Gol, NSW, and then travel two hours into the "Outback" for the Wednesday-Friday conference. We will be camping under the stars and experiencing "Stories of Deep Time: Kids teaching kids in the Willandra Lakes World Heritage Area."
Here is a blurb from the literature on the Mungo Youth Project:
The Mungo Youth Project provides students with skills in knowledge development, environmental education and more importantly builds optimism and capability. It aims for a cultural change in the way we use and understand our natural environment whilst developing public speaking capabilities to communicate ideas in many different forms.
The project, utilising a range of experiences including the Kids Teaching Kids education/learning model, enhances education outcomes not only in terms of the subject matter but also as a means of fostering increased self esteem, empowerment and leadership in young Australians, both indigenous and non-indigenous.
The Kids Teaching Kids model, or peer education, is increasingly being recognized as a contemporary and powerful teaching tool drawing on the understanding, language and communication that is optimized when peers communicate with peers. The aim is to facilitate the development of learning by students, which will then be presented to others in an interactive manner. The students become the teachers and teach other kids.
Here are some photographs of Mungo National Park
Oh my - what have I gotten myself into?
So - since we do not return to Sydney until late on Friday (2nd), I probably will not complete next week's blog until that weekend (3-4). Until then - think about this:
Those of you who know me - especially any of you who have ever gone camping with me (like Dana and Becky Cossey) know that I enjoy "sleeping outside" for one night only!!! This will be a challenge for me.
I know I don't need to worry about my hair, etc, and just "get into the full experience of being one with the land." That's all well and good, but I am definitely going into this experience with a fresh haircut, a manicure (short), and probably a battery operated curling iron!
Take care friends!
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