Venom

In late 2005, University of Melbourne researchers discovered that all monitors may be somewhat venomous. Previously, bites inflicted by monitors were thought to be prone to infection because of bacteria in their mouths, but the researchers showed that the immediate effects are caused by mild envenomation. Bites on the hand by Komodo dragons (V. komodensis), perenties (V. giganteus), lace monitors (V. varius), and spotted tree monitors (V. scalaris) have been observed to cause swelling within minutes, localised disruption of blood clotting, and shooting pain up to the elbow, which can often last for several hours.^[10]

University of Washington biologist Kenneth V. Kardong and toxicologists Scott A. Weinstein and Tamara L. Smith have argued that the suggestion of venom glands "... has had the effect of underestimating the variety of complex roles played by oral secretions in the biology of reptiles, produced a very narrow view of oral secretions and resulted in misinterpretation of reptilian evolution". According to the scientists "... reptilian oral secretions contribute to many biological roles other than to quickly dispatch prey". They concluded, "Calling all in this clade venomous implies an overall potential danger that does not exist, misleads in the assessment of medical risks, and confuses the biological assessment of squamate biochemical systems".^[11]

Feeding

The perenties are apex predators that do not have natural predators in their range.^[12] They are highly active carnivores that feed on mostly reptiles, small mammals, and less commonly birds such as diamond doves.^[13] They hunt live prey, but also scavenge carrion. Reptilian prey includes mostly lizards (such as skinks and agamids) and more seldom snakes, but this species also displays a notable example of intraguild predation, as it eats an unusually large number of other monitor lizard species such as ridge-tailed monitors, black-headed monitors, Gould's monitors, and even Argus monitors.^[14][15][16] Perenties also eat smaller members of their own species; such is the case of a 2 m (6 ft 7 in) perentie killing and eating a 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) perentie.^[17] Other lizard prey include central bearded dragons and long-nosed water dragons. Coastal and island individuals often eat a large number of sea turtle eggs and hatchlings, and hide under vehicles to ambush scavenging gulls. Mammalian prey includes bats, young kangaroos & other small marsupials, and rodents. They have also been occasionally seen foraging for food in shallow water. They are able to kill kangaroos and dismember those too large to be swallowed whole using their powerful forelimbs and claws.^[18] Although adults feed predominantly on vertebrate prey, young perenties eat mostly arthropods, especially grasshoppers and centipedes.^[19][17][20]

Prey is typically swallowed whole, but if the food item is too large, chunks are ripped off for ease of consumption.^[21]

Breeding

The perentie can lay its eggs in termite mounds or in the soil.^[22]