I was walking along, my gaze in the treetops as usual, looking and listening for birds. I heard a frantic scurrying on the path ahead of me, and was just in time to see a lace monitor lizard scramble onto a tree. The lizard hid for a while at the base of the tree, observing me:

I was intrigued and a little nervous. This was a big lizard, about as long as I am tall. I’m close to 6 foot! Lace monitors are also known as tree goannas (Varanus varius). They can grow to two metres (seven feet) in length and weigh up to 14 kg (30 pounds). They’re predators, living off birds and eggs, other reptiles, and small animals.

I encountered this one a couple of days ago in Manly Dam National Park (map), on the east coast of Australia slightly to the north of Sydney.

The monitor made its way slowly up the tree, flicking its forked tongue in and out, as you can see in this video:

In the following picture, the lizard has reached a safe height and paused to observe me again:

Look at those hands!

Here’s a far-away picture of the lizard on the tree, to show its size and its surrounds:

What a gorgeous, wild creature to encounter on a morning walk.