yellow spotted monitors in the news (varanus panoptes)

[cris]

Just saw a story on the news saying a study found they are most likely to be completely wiped out by toads
Does anyone know anything about this?

Do they still live in areas in qld where toads are?

 

[alex_c]

are they the same as varanus gouldi? because i just googled varanus panoptes and something came up that said varanus panoptes = varanus gouldi:?

 

[cris]

They used to be thought to be gouldi in much of their range, but they arnt. V.panoptes panoptes generally live around rivers and stuff while gouldi live in dry sandy places.

However in there is another subspecies v.p.rubidus that live in dry areas in the pilbra region(probably more widespread).

 

[alex_c]

damn that sucks if the toads have killed them all i hope somebody has them in captivity somewhere. damn toads we should be spending more too wipe them out.

 

[cris]

There are a limited number in captivity, its a shame they didnt get more before the toads got there.
It would be interesting to know if these guys are still around in Qld where toads have been around for ages.

They are without a doubt the coolest herp on the planet, such a shame