Varanus gouldii
Silhouette: Rachel T Mason · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~90% in a week >90%
The sand goanna (Varanus gouldii), also known commonly as Gould's monitor, the racehorse goanna, and the sand monitor, is a species of large Australian monitor lizard in the family Varanidae. John Edward Gray described the species in 1838 as Hydrosaurus gouldii, noting the source of the type specimen as "New Holland" and distinguishing the new varanid by "two yellow streaks on the sides of the neck" and small flat scales at the orbits.
An earlier description, Tupinambis endrachtensis Péron, F. 1807, was determined as likely to refer to this animal, but the epithet gouldii was conserved and a new specimen designated as the type. This neotype was obtained in 1997 at the near coastal Western Australian suburb of Karrakatta, and placed with the British Museum of Natural History. The decision of a nomenclatural commission (ICZN) was to issue an opinion suppressing the earlier name Tupinambis endrachtensis and the name Hydrosaurus ocellarius Blyth, 1868, that were unsatisfactory to some who had commented on the case, but provided taxonomic certainty for future revisions of the associated taxa.
The specific name, gouldii, is assumed to be a Latinised form of... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Hattah-Kulkyne National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Flinders Ranges National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Cape Range | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Ningaloo Marine Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 6 | Kakadu National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Silesian Zoological Garden | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 2 | Taronga Zoo | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Featherdale Sydney Wildlife Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Sea Life Sydney Aquarium | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Wild Life Sydney | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 6 | Reptile House | 🇭🇰 Hong Kong SAR China |
Likely
About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Gould's Goanna sighting in Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park on a given day, based on 49 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 3rd most-seen of the 25 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.
January
In that month about 80% of wildlife watchers report a Gould's Goanna in Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park on a given day, against under 5% in May to August, the lowest months. That is one of Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park's wettest months, with about 65 mm of rain against almost none in July.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Gould's Goanna 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 6 parks where we can rate Gould's Goanna sightings, Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park has the highest daily chance: about 50%. Next come Hattah-Kulkyne National Park (Australia, about 50%) and Flinders Ranges National Park (Australia, about 50%). All parks ranked.
Same genus: Varanus
The closest relatives of the Gould's Goanna that you can see in Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park (genus Varanus, Monitor Lizards) are Perentie (about 30%), Black-headed Monitor (about 20%) and Rusty Desert Monitor (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Gould's Goanna is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park (49 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.
