Varanus varius
Silhouette: Steven Traver · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~90% in a week >90%
The lace monitor (Varanus varius), also known as the tree goanna, is a member of the monitor lizard family native to eastern Australia. A large lizard, it can reach 2 metres (6.6 ft) in total length and 14 kilograms (31 lb) in weight. The lace monitor is considered to be a least-concern species according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
John White, the surgeon-general of New South Wales, described this species as the variegated lizard (Lacerta varia) in 1790. George Shaw reported that several specimens were taken back to England. French naturalist François Marie Daudin gave it the name Tupinambis variegatus in 1802, and noted two forms. German naturalist Blasius Merrem established the genus Varanus in 1820, with V. varius as the first mentioned member set as its type species by John Edward Gray in 1827.
French zoologists André Marie Constant Duméril and Gabriel Bibron described two specimens in 1836, one in their possession and one from the collection of English zoologist Thomas Bell as Varanus bellii "Le Varan de Bell". This turned out to be a banded colour phase of the lace monitor that coexists with normal-coloured individuals, and is either... Wikipedia →
Recording0:20
Australia · 2025
© Tony Gorman · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Noosa National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Royal National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Daintree National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Hattah-Kulkyne National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Lamington National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 6 | Springbrook National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 7 | Blue Mountains National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 8 | Grampians National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
No species of the same family or order lives in Noosa National Park, so these are its closest relatives here: other reptiles.
Likely
About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Lace Monitor sighting in Noosa National Park on a given day, based on 89 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the most-seen of the 15 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 90%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
November and December
In those months about 80% of wildlife watchers report a Lace Monitor in Noosa National Park on a given day, against under 5% in June, the lowest month.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Lace Monitor sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 8 parks where we can rate Lace Monitor sightings, Noosa National Park has the highest daily chance: about 50%. Next come Royal National Park (Australia, about 50%) and Daintree National Park (Australia, about 50%). All parks ranked.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Lace Monitor is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Noosa National Park (89 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
