goanna hole Greetings fellow Foxies,
As soon as the weather warms up, you will see fist-sized holes with a round top and a flat base appearing in sandy and gravelly soils. These were dug by Varanus gouldii variously known as ‘racehorse goanna’ or a ‘sand goanna’ or even a Gould’s monitor. They commonly hide in hollow logs and may be seen sunning themselves on roads, rocks, and logs. They must be able to sense grubs or beetles in the soil.
Racehorse goannas may look fierce but always run away at great speed, which can frighten the daylights out of some. They have been rumoured to climb people, mistaking them for trees, but in my experience take off in the opposite direction. If you are a nervous type, just walk next to a tall person (who is also useful if there is a chance of lightning).
As soon as the weather warms up, you will see fist-sized holes with a round top and a flat base appearing in sandy and gravelly soils. These were dug by Varanus gouldii variously known as ‘racehorse goanna’ or a ‘sand goanna’ or even a Gould’s monitor. They commonly hide in hollow logs and may be seen sunning themselves on roads, rocks, and logs. They must be able to sense grubs or beetles in the soil.
Racehorse goannas may look fierce but always run away at great speed, which can frighten the daylights out of some. They have been rumoured to climb people, mistaking them for trees, but in my experience take off in the opposite direction. If you are a nervous type, just walk next to a tall person (who is also useful if there is a chance of lightning).
Western bearded dragons build similar but smaller holes, but are rarely seen. The shingleback lizard (bobtail skink - it isn't a goanna) is our most commonly seen reptile. These lovable reptiles try to look fierce, but are harmless. Please don't let dogs near them?
 racehorse goanna's lair |  bobtail skink |  western bearded dragon |
rainbow bee eater burrows Rainbow bee eater nesting burrows look similar to goanna diggings but are rounder and deeper, and occur in clusters. I used to see their nests in the road burden by the side of the track on the north side of the arboretum, but alas no longer. I suspect that chicks became goanna tucker, as rainbow bee eaters normally burrow in gully walls that are harder for predators to reach. Rainbow bee eaters appear in early summer. They are acrobats of the bird world being fast and agile, and doing loop the loops as they catch bees on the wing. They have a lovely rolling chirrup call. World War II Spitfire fighter planes copied their wing shape to maximise manoeuvrability.
