Diet+and+Nutrition

A range of Australian animals are known and scientifically documented as to have developed morphological adaptations to survive in the Australian climate (Hulme, P. 2005).

__Diet and Nutrition__ The diet of the lace monitor allows drought conditions to have almost no effect on the food intake and water supply of these lizards. A carnivorous lifestyle allows the //V varius// lizards to survive in drought or harsh conditions by developing the ability to survive on carrion (dead animal) as well as other available meat sources (Cronin, L., 2001). The animals eaten by the lace monitor also provide these lizards with their source of water and as a result monitor lizards do not need to drink large amounts of water during hot/summer seasons (Green, B., King, D., 1993). Diet related studies use capture mark recapture, trap and release, observational and post death analysis to determine the food intake and regularity of animal diet. ‘Diet of large carnivorous lizard, //Varanus varius’// uses noose and pole apparatus to catch the animal and following capture stomach samples are taken for diet analysis (Guarino, F., 2001). Comprising the use of both observational and sampled data enables journal studies to be more in depth regarding ratios and consistency of food intake. The hot and dry weather seasons are the seasons during which the most food is eaten. A known factor of the monitor lifestyle is that they are known to gorge during the summer seasons where food availability is high and activity of the animal is most prominent. Research on the lifestyle of the lace monitor determined that it is not necessary to sample every month as a form of hibernation takes place in winter months (Guarino, F., 2001). The lace monitor has developed large physically powerful claws which aid as both an adaptation to climbing trees to retrieve birds and eggs and to retreat into trees to hide from any predators (Wilson, S., Gerry, S., 2009) (Cogger,H., 1975). These considerably strong claws also act as a tool to rip apart any competition for food and to tear apart prey (Guarino, F., 2001). Studies by Collar, d. //et al.// (2011) and Olson, A. //et al.// (2005) both state the significance that both terrestrial and tree forage habitat have on the predator endurance lifestyle and the structure of the lace monitor. 

The goanna is very active during the summer and spring seasons whereas activity and food intake is low and almost non existent during winter. Among other food intake smaller lizards, even from the same species as the lace monitor, are known to be this lizard's prey and this largely relates to the immense size of the lizard (For further details about this see page on evolution of body size in Varanids).