This unusual behavior is used to spot potential prey or enemies from a distance or when they are threatened. Varanus panoptes will often "tripod" in captivity and in the wild, raising up on their hind legs and supporting themselves with their tail. Varanus panoptes is riparian in habits and as such, it can usually be found around a permanent source of water. These large lizards are quite fast and will run up to 100 meters away to the nearest tree or burrow when they are chased. Despite this, they will eagerly forage in trees and in the water. This species is an avid digger and will dig large burrows or take over an already existing burrow, where they spend a sizable portion of their time. They are primarily terrestrial, meaning they spend a great deal of time on the ground. Varanus panoptes is a versatile predator and inhabits a large variety of biomes and habitats. The species may be referred to as the floodplains goanna in the northern regions of Australia. The epithet panoptes was inspired by a mythological figure with one hundred eyes, the protector of Princess Io named Argus Panoptes. A population that discovered in southern New Guinea that was recognised as having a close affinity to the description of this species. The nominate subspecies occurring across the north of mainland Australia, Arnhem Land, the Kimberley and Cape York Peninsula.
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Varanus panoptes panoptes, Storr, 1980.(rubidus referring to its reddish coloration) The holotype of this subspecies was obtained near Cue, Western Australia, at the midwest of the continent, and the population is endemic to the north and west of that state. Three subspecies are recognised by the Australian Faunal Directory and the Reptile Database: By issuing an opinion on the various taxonomic considerations, the voting members conserved the name published with John Edward Gray's description and stabilised the nomenclature of this species name. The describing author discovered that the specimen selected as the type of Varanus gouldii was in fact assignable to this species, recently described by reptile specialist Glenn Storr. Ī third subspecies was published in 1988, based on specimens from southern New Guinea. Early collections and descriptions of the region's species have historically been uncertain, leading the ICZN to issue an opinion that related to this taxon.
![argus monitor predators argus monitor predators](http://www.wild-facts.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/photo-235x190.jpg)
The first description of the species was provided in a revision of the varanids of Western Australia, where the family is represented by diverse taxa in a wide variety of habitats.