I did mean to post this yesterday as it is the answer to the claws in the tree.
It is a Lace Monitor, or we call them a goanna. He's only a relatively small one, around 1 metre in length, I imagine before he is fully grown he will double in both girth and length.
They are very shy, he saw me take this photo, and he ran for the tree and up in a flash. Ended up more a matter of me chasing around to get photos of him.
TIP - never feed a goanna, they are incredibly intelligent, will never forget it, and in fact will begin to presume you owe it to them and become less and less shy .....
@gardencat because mine are truly wild, they are very shy. a friend nearby who lives right on the river gave a fish to one as he was fishing one day. he ended up not fishing anymore as time progressed the goanna became very insistent that his share was not negotiable - I doubt goannas normally get to taste fish at all, guess he developed a liking.
camping grounds often find lots of big ones hanging around for scraps and have been known to raid supplies
they are omnivorous so will have a go at pretty much anything we eat 😂
He is quite lovely but I’m just as glad to hear that they are shy.
camping grounds often find lots of big ones hanging around for scraps and have been known to raid supplies
they are omnivorous so will have a go at pretty much anything we eat 😂