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Komodo and Singapore Zoo

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I just got back from a great vacation cruising Indonesia with time in Singapore on either end of it. I didn't do any real herping (i.e. didn't get a chance to visit longqi), but the dragons on Komodo are so big that I got great shots despite using a little Cybershot:



This forked stick was all the protective gear carried by our guides on the tour. Menstruating women and anyone with open sores was not allowed to go. The dragons get too perky when there is blood around!




Here are some herps at the Singapore Zoo. The water monitor was just hanging out on the path in the zoo:


Some captive animals. An Aldabra tortoise:


A gharial


Saltie


Rhinocerous iguana


Okay, the next two are not herps, but they were so darn cute....
Ringtail lemur (we snuck in a quick pat, which it didn't mind)


Sumatran elephants in Bali. The baby was playing in the elephant swimming pool just like a child in the bath - rolling around, blowing bubbles, splashing. I even got a 'high five'!


I hope you enjoy.

Herp Trip to South Australia

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Well last Tuesday night after watching some epic cricket, matthew (pythonwner or some boring name like that on here) got ready to get up at 4am to get a flight to Adelaide.
Arriving at Adelaide we met up with JP from QLD and waited for shawn (rocket) to pick us up. We went to his house and saw all his sexy geckos and pygos, of which he promised to give me most of.
We started our adventure out to the Eyre Peninsula, around the Kimba region. On the way we went to a tin spot but it was to blistering hot that we only found shingle backs and a roasted parasuta.

Arriving at our spot our main goal was a starred knob tailed gecko.

Driving along the road this big brown boy was cruising along.
When we caught it and had a look my mouth dropped… INFRAMACULA!. Really something i wanted but hell did not expect to get!


Peninsula Brown Snake (Pseudonaja inframacula)


Peninsula Brown Snake (Pseudonaja inframacula) by Nick Volpe, on Flickr


After harassing that special beast. About 100m down the road this dugite thought he would have a crack at us! … He was very happy to see us, he was a bit bitey!

Dugite (Pseudonaja affinis)


Dugite (Pseudonaja affinis) by Nick Volpe, on Flickr


As nightfall we were straight in the dunes looking for stellatus.
We bumped into a lot of boring damaeum before we heard mat cry stellatus
It was a very sexy gecko. Extremely sexy… Like so sexy if you put one next to me it'd be the hardest decision in your life to pick which one is sexier!

Starred Knob Tailed Gecko


Starred Knob-Tailed Gecko (Nephrurus stellatus) by Nick Volpe, on Flickr


Walking down the road we were checking trees for strophurus species or some cool snake of some sort. I spotted this guy retrieving under a burrow under a shrub. not for long! .. A richmond snake!. Finally!

Jan's Banded Snake (Simoselaps bertholdi)


Jan's Banded Snake (Simoselaps bertholdi) by Nick Volpe, on Flickr


That was enough for the night.
In the morning we were hoping to see a thorny devil so we cruised roads.

Southern Mallee Ctenotus (Ctenotus atlas)



Southern Mallee Ctenotus (Ctenotus atlas) by Nick Volpe, on Flickr


Crested Dragons were common along roads. Some were very hot with red all over their body! They were extremely swift and no one could catch one.
This one was basking on a rock on the side of the road

Crested Dragon (Ctenophorus cristatus)


Crested Dragon (Ctenophorus cristatus) by Nick Volpe, on Flickr


We found a desert skink. Third one I've seen now, and they never stop getting awesome!

Desert Skink (Liopholis inornata)


Desert Skink (Liopholis inornata) by Nick Volpe, on Flickr


It was midday now and rocket really wanted a thorny devil. HE REALLY WANTED ONE. If i could fill this whole page with just REALLY's it would still be an under exaggeration of how much he REALLY wanted a thorny devil. Infact i don't think there would be enough room in the universe to write the amount of REALLY's.
Well after about 5 hours searching in dunes in heat, rocket finally got what he wanted! And he was very happy after that! We all were!
These things were fake in my opinion!
While we were photographing it, it continued snacking on ants, matt got a cool shot of that.

Thorny Devil (Moloch horridus)


Thorny Devil (Moloch horridus) by Nick Volpe, on Flickr


Thorny Devil (Moloch horridus) by Nick Volpe, on Flickr


After that ecstatic find and with everyone in the car so happy that i wasn't even excited about having a magnum ice-cream. We moved south for a night to look for death adders and delma petersoni
We that wasn't the greatest night, since we found no snakes or stupid delmas after hours of searching.
We found some riveting skinks though

Four-toed Earless Skink (Hemiergis peronii)


Four-toed Earless Skink (Hemiergis peronii) by Nick Volpe, on Flickr

Four-toed Earless Skink (Hemiergis peronii) by Nick Volpe, on Flickr


We found a weird looking gecko that we had to check twice before calling it a damaeum

Beaded gecko (Lucasium damaeum)


Beaded gecko (Lucasium damaeum) by Nick Volpe, on Flickr


That morning we returned back to the dune we found a thorny devil to try and find a baby one. (yes we ask for too much!)
Unfortunately we didn't find a baby thorny devil, because i doubt they exist. I think there is only one thorny devil in australia that makes its way around quickly
but we did get some awesome skinks...

South-western Orange-tailed Slider (Lerista distinguenda)


South-western Orange-tailed Slider (Lerista distinguenda) by Nick Volpe, on Flickr


Edwards' Slider (Lerista edwardsae)


Edwards' Slider (Lerista edwardsae) by Nick Volpe, on Flickr


After we were done being blown away by the amazingess of lerista, we kept driving north looking for gidgee skinks. We stopped at a rocky outcrop on the side of the road.
It was bloody hot, and we found a cute as hell hatchling peninsula dragon

Hatchling Peninsula Dragon (Ctenophorus fionni)


Hatchling Peninsula Dragon (Ctenophorus fionni) by Nick Volpe, on Flickr

Hatchling Peninsula Dragon (Ctenophorus fionni) by Nick Volpe, on Flickr


We kept looking for outcrops to find a gidgee as JP really wanted one. HE REALLY WANTED ONE. If i could fill this whole page with just REALLY's it would still be an under exaggeration of how much he REALLY wanted a gidgee skink. Infact i don't think there would be enough room in the universe to write the amount of REALLY's. So we stopped around the pimba region to have a poke around. Arcoona rock dragons were running around the rocky plains, they were so awesome! i LOVED THEM!

Juvenile Arcoona Rock Dragon (Ctenophorus fionni)


Juvenile Arcoona Rock Dragon (Ctenophorus fionni) by Nick Volpe, on Flickr

Juvenile Arcoona Rock Dragon (Ctenophorus fionni) by Nick Volpe, on Flickr



Than we saw some males


Male Arcoona Rock Dragon (Ctenophorus fionni) by Nick Volpe, on Flickr


Male Arcoona Rock Dragon (Ctenophorus fionni) by Nick Volpe, on Flickr


We were still poking around in the ridiculous heat looking for this spiky skink, when JP walked up to us with a smile on his face!
Everyone had smiles on their face, it think the skink even might of as well (not really, they look pretty tough. Not even my jokes or rocket's immature farts could make it smile)

Gidgee Skink (Ergenia stokesii)


Gidgee Skink (Egernia stokesii) by Nick Volpe, on Flickr


We kept driving north to around pernatty lagoon to look for some sexy geckos.
I thought asking for two nephrurus in one trip was too much, but apparently not.
It took a while to find some but when we did we were all ecstatic!

Gravid Pernatty Lagoon Knob-tailed Gecko (Nephrurus deleani)


Pernatty Lagoon Knob-tailed Gecko (Nephrurus deleani) by Nick Volpe, on Flickr

Male Pernatty Lagoon Knob-tailed Gecko (Nephrurus deleani)


Pernatty Lagoon Knob-tailed Gecko (Nephrurus deleani) by Nick Volpe, on Flickr


We found some beaked geckos as well. AKA skinny annoying things that don't sit still

Eyre Basin Beaked Gecko (Rhynchoedura eyrensis)


Eyre Basin Beaked Gecko (Rhynchoedura eyrensis) by Nick Volpe, on Flickr


And rocket also found his first pygopus species (about time!)



An awesome western scalyfoot

Western Hooded Scaly-foot (Pygopus nigriceps)


Western Hooded Scaly-foot (Pygopus nigriceps) by Nick Volpe, on Flickr


After another rough sleep in a mattress-less tent, me and JP woke up to rocket's usual alarm of .. well i wont repeat it. Matt got out of his swag and we were away on the 4th day!
Rocket had organised for us to go out and see some pygmy blue tongues.
yes i repeat. PYGMY BLUETONGUES!. These guys were even smaller than hatchling common blue tongues! .. Absolutely epic things

Pygmy Blue-tongued Skink (Tiliqua adelaidensis)


Pygmy Blue-tongued Skink (Tiliqua adelaidensis) by Nick Volpe, on Flickr

Juvenile Pygmy Blue-tongued Skink (Tiliqua adelaidensis) .. possibly the cutest thing I've seen apart from JP falling asleep


Juvenile Pygmy Blue-tongued Skink (Tiliqua adelaidensis) by Nick Volpe, on Flickr


A sexy rhodomantis! Or a piece of grass that moves as others may cal them


Rhodomantis sp. by Nick Volpe, on Flickr


We headed back east into the Murray-Mallee for our last night. Our main target was elderi.
Arriving there on dusk we poked around for some snakes, with no luck.
but we found something that was just as cool as a snake in my opinion

Spinifex Slender Blue-tongue (Cyclodomorphus melanops)


Spinifex Slender Blue-tongue (Cyclodomorphus melanops) by Nick Volpe, on Flickr


JP and I had rashes all over our arms from searching spinifex for so long looking for delma. We needed to find one. We were searching like our lives depended on it. We searched every spinifex we saw while matt and rocket continued there way up the dune. Every shed skink just teased us. We were getting angry. REALLY ANGRY! So angry that i was nearly tempted to smack the spinifex. But that would be dumb and i would get numb.
Than all of a sudden we could hear rocket screaming to us in the distance. We thought had found a mulga. So we ran what seemed like 20km (It probably was more) to arrive at him, smirking that matt MIGHT of found a williamsi. I wanted to smack him
than he opened his hand. i wanted to smack him even more! He had found a delma, on the side the road under a tiny spinifex mat. He made me and JP look bad! (but secretly we had found about 100)

Marble-faced Delma (Delma australis)


Marble-faced Delma (Delma australis) by Nick Volpe, on Flickr


Than we saw some jewelled gecko!. These things were EXTREMELY sexy! They were alluring, appealing, charming, cute, dazzling, delightful, elegant, exquisite, gorgeous, graceful, handsome, magnificent, marvellous, pretty, splendid, stunning, superb, wonderful, admirable, angelic, classy (like rocket), divine, pulchritudinous (my new favourite word), ravishingly sexy creatures

Jewelled Gecko (Strophurus elderi)


Jewelled Gecko (Strophurus elderi) by Nick Volpe, on Flickr

Juvenile Jewelled Gecko (Strophurus elderi)


Juvenile Jewelled Gecko (Strophurus elderi) by Nick Volpe, on Flickr


Matt had found a williamsi apparently. He had lost it under a tree (GOD DAMIT MATT!) And he was getting really angry. There was smoke fuming out of his ears and i was tempted to pee on him to cool him down incase he started a bushfire. But instead i just pointed out it was on the other side of the tree. That made matt relaxed, but i wonder what option A would of done.

Eastern Spiny-tailed Gecko (Strophurus williamsi)


Eastern Spiny-tailed Gecko (Strophurus williamsi) by Nick Volpe, on Flickr


Rocket also spotted a mitchells short tailed snake, i had seen many already so didn't bother to get photos.
We woke up to an overcast morning. Our last morning. (emotional)
JP wanted to find a thick tailed gecko. HE REALLY WANTED ONE. If i could fill this whole page with just REALLY's it would still be an under exaggeration of how much he REALLY wanted a barking gecko. Infact i don't think there would be enough room in the universe to write the amount of REALLY's.
So rocket took us to a rocky hill where i found one for JP to keep him quiet

Thick-tailed Gecko (Underwoodisaurus milii)


Thick-tailed Gecko (Underwoodisaurus milii) by Nick Volpe, on Flickr


I didn't want to end the trip on some pedophilic looking gecko (seriously, look at the things smirk ^^^). So Rocket took us on his farm in the barossa valley to look for a few other critters.

Southern Rock Dtella (Gehyra lazelli)


Southern Rock Dtella (Gehyra lazelli) by Nick Volpe, on Flickr

Southern Rock Dtella (Gehyra lazelli) by Nick Volpe, on Flickr


YES!. A perfect end to the trip!. Plus it had a regen!.. Have a look at this beast of a skink!

Three-toed Earless Skink (Hemiergis decresiensis)


Three-toed Earless Skink (Hemiergis decresiensis) by Nick Volpe, on Flickr


It was too good to be true that we would finish or trip on a little brown skink. Because we found tawny dragons. I loved tawny dragons. I loved them much more than little brown skinks. MUCH more. In fact i loved them so much that i can't even be bothered writing how much much's i could love them because I'm still thinking about how much i loved them.

Female Tawny Dragon (Ctenophorus decresii)


Female Tawny Dragon (Ctenophorus decresii) by Nick Volpe, on Flickr

Male Tawny Dragon (Ctenophorus decresii)


Male Tawny Dragon (Ctenophorus decresii) by Nick Volpe, on Flickr


Male Tawny Dragon (Ctenophorus decresii) by Nick Volpe, on Flickr


So yes. It was time for us to go. We said our goodbyes, cried a bit (matt did, I'm tough) and went back home! It was an awesome trip. It was hard to say bye to rocket, he was so majestic!

I hope you enjoy reading this!

Nick

Advice on herping on the Central Coast

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Hi guys,
This will be my first time herping, so I want it to be a good experience.

Just wondering if anyone knows of any places on the Central Coast that is good to go herping at?

Thanks,
Tyler

Pambula / east gippsland Herping... ish

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hello everybody...
headed up with the family and a friend to Pambula beach, we hang around for two weeks. there isn't really much diversity as we stayed aroud the same place apart from when we had a look around Gippsland and Tilba Tilba. I am a pretty unexperienced photographer so I have just chose some of my favourite pics :P
Many things like small twigs ended up in the photos with frustrated me a bit.. like this one which would have turned out kinda decent without it :facepalm::facepalm:

Eulamprus heatwolei by nickgherping, on Flickr
We were right next to a floodplain so I headed out to find some freddos.

Litoria ewingii by nickgherping, on Flickr
Def my fave, love the green speckles on this cool little.. girl?

Litoria Peroni by nickgherping, on Flickr
we went with flashlights at night and found this big fat stripey.

Striped marsh frog Limnodynastes peronii by nickgherping, on Flickr
ill get onto some herps.
water skinks were bloody everywhere!!!

Eulamprus heatwolei by nickgherping, on Flickr

Eulamprus heatwolei by nickgherping, on Flickr

Yellow bellied water skink Eulamprus heatwolei by nickgherping, on Flickr
annnnnnnnnddddd some jackys

Jacky Tree Dragon Amphibolurus muricatus by nickgherping, on Flickr

Jacky Dragon Amphibolurus muricatus by nickgherping, on Flickr
annnndddd some laceys

Varanus various by nickgherping, on Flickr

Varanus various by nickgherping, on Flickr

varanus various by nickgherping, on Flickr
Bugs, I love photographing these guys because they don't run like that bloody rbb I found when i forgot my camera:evil: :)

botany bay diamond weevil by nickgherping, on Flickr

Native wasp by nickgherping, on Flickr

Long nosed belid weevil by nickgherping, on Flickr

Male raspy cricket in threat display by nickgherping, on Flickr

garden Orb weaver by nickgherping, on Flickr

??? by nickgherping, on Flickr
Enjoy what you made of this mishmash of herps and bugs :)

Reptile Guide to the UAE and Oman

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The following is a summary report of three trips to the UAE and Oman in 2013. I had hoped to return again this year but that now seems unlikely. Last year, I was fortunate to be able to break work trips home from Spain with stops in Dubai. I used holiday time to explore these interesting countries for a few days in February (cool winter temps), June (searing summer heat) and again for two weeks in October (warm autumn). My first two trips were alone but the final trip was with a friend, Ted Cordery, from the States.

My first trip was particularly exciting since I had no idea what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised to find both the UAE and Oman to be very easy places for travel with good infrastructure, lots of accessible sites and friendly people. There was absolutely no issue with safety and if anything, the people were sometimes too helpful. I almost always had locals drive their 4x4s up to me at night when they saw my lights on the dunes or up in the hills. They said that it was unusual to see someone wandering around like that at night so they were checking to see if I was okay. People were always surprised that I travelled so far to search for reptiles. One guy, after hearing this, asked me again “Am I okay, do I need help?” ... He obviously thought that I had mental issues to be doing such a thing! People were interested in the photos and twice I was invited back for meals.

I think that the UAE and Oman are exciting destinations for those interested in reptile photography. Diversity is high with 89 species currently on the list. This count will no doubt increase with additional field studies and discoveries in southern Oman and of course additional taxonomic studies such as the recent Hemidactylus study. Flights from Australia to Europe usually stop in Dubai or Abu Dhabi so breaking the flight for a few days of exploration is a real possibility. This also is an excellent time to visit Oman. Western tourists are not numerous but this will likely change in the next few years.


In the following report, I will include:
Reptile photos;
Sites and habitats;
References; and
Suggested Itinerary.



REPTILE PHOTOS
GEKKONIDAE

Oman in home to a plethora of gecko species. Geckos were the most frequently encountered reptiles on the trip. In many areas, the density was amazing with 25 or more animals found on a two-hour walk. Some species were dune specialists, some lived on gravel flats and others were restricted to rocks in the wadis.

Gallagher’s Leaf-toed Gecko (Asaccus gallagheri): This species is distributed the length of the the Al Hajar Mountains. I saw a single male near the “gecko cave” near Al-Hoota Cave (between Bahla and Nizwa) as well as others in a wadi high-up on Jebel Akhdar. Like other Asaccus, males have yellow tails and females have white tails. These geckos have long legs and were quick movers that were hard to approach.



Flat-headed Leaf-toed Gecko (Asaccus platyrhynchus). This large, slender species has a limited distribution on Jebel Akhdar. I found them to be common at low elevation with up to six in sight at the same time in a small cave near Al Hoota. Other were sighted on the rock walls of wadis. I found a single individual in a wadi at about 2000m on Jebel Akhdar one night while I searched (unsuccessfully) for Mountain Leaf-toed Geckos (A. Montanus). This species was beautifully marked with soft pastel colours.




The toe tips of this species and other leaf-tails were bizarre and shaped like little hearts.



Banded Ground Gecko (Bunopus spatalurus hajarensis). These small geckos were fairly common at upper levels of Jebel Ahkdar. I also found one on gravel flats inland from Sur. I also searched for the spectacular southern race of this gecko, Bunopus spatulurus spatalurus), near Salalah but had no success. The field guide indicates that the southern race is much less common than the widespread race in northern Oman.


Bunopus composite photo:
Banded Ground Gecko (Bunopus spatalurus hajarensis): upper three photo;
Baluch Ground Gecko (Bunopus tuberculatus): lower six photos



Baluch Ground Gecko (Bunopus tuberculatus): This species is found in most parts of Oman. It was a speedster and was very easy to loose on gravel flats. It would run several meters at high speed and then crouch and freeze. I often lost animals that I was preparing to photograph.



Rough-tailed Bowfoot Gecko (Cyrtopodion scabrum): Unfortunately, I only have this single shot of a tiny juvenile from Al Ain, UAE. At night, I thought this was a juvenile Baluch Ground Gecko. It was only later when looking at the photos that I realized it was something different. Rough-tailed Bowfoot Geckos are apparently widespread in disturbed habiats in the UAE but this was the only individual that I encountered. The field guide only shows a few widely distributed records of the species in Oman.



Hemidactylus was a diverse genus in Oman. Some areas such as the southwestern coast near Salalah support as many as seven species of these active, climbing geckos. Some of these geckos will shed their skin to escape a predator. I noticed scars on some animals but did not know of this behaviour until I read the field guide.

Hemidactylus composite photo

Ali Kiymi’s Leaf-toed Gecko (Hemidactylus alkiyumii): (top three photos below). I found several of these medium-sized Hemidactylus in monsoonal forest with Baobab Trees on a slope of the Dhofar Mountains near Salalah. Getting photos of these wary geckos was difficult and they usually escaped into cover before I could take a shot. The geckos were usually observed on boulders near the bottom of the wadi but some were the trunks of trees. This species was restricted to the southwestern coastal areas of Oman
Arabian Leaf-toed Gecko (Hemidactylus homoeolepis): (middle three photos below). This small species was abundant in a wadi southwest of Salalah. I found many on the smooth rocky shoulders of a wadi near Wadi Ayun.
Central Dhofar Leaf-toed Gecko (Hemidactylus paucituberculatus): (lower three photos below). These geckos were abundant in wadis to the northeast of Salalah. I also saw a few in the same wadi as the Ali Kiymi’s Leaf-toed Gecko.


Yellow-bellied House Gecko (Hemidactylus flaviviridis): This species was a true “house” gecko. I saw large numbers on the walls of the hotel at Qatbit in the Empty Quarter one night. I saw others on the Mercure Hotel at the top of Jebel Hafeet, Al Ain.



Hajar Mountains Leaf-tailed Gecko (Hemidactylus hajarensis): I believe that the following photos from the “gecko cave” near Al Hoota and lower slopes of Jebel Akhdar were this species. These geckos are currently known from the central portion of the Al Hajar Mountains. It looks like I had inadvertentlly damaged the skin slightly on one of these but I did not realize this while taking the photos.



Jebel Akhdar Leaf-toed Gecko (Hemidactylus luqueorum)?: I am not certain but I think that the following gecko is a member of this species that closely resembles Hemidactylus hajarensis. As the name suggests, this species is restricted to the Jebel Akhdar area. It ranges to higher elevations than H. hajarensis. I found this gecko at about 1500m on a warm summer night.



Five species of Semaphore Geckos (Pristurus sp.) are found in Oman. These are day-active geckos although I did encounter a Rock Semaphore Gecko one night in the summer. Most were quite easy to see and basked conspicuously on rocks or gravel flats. These geckos were not wary and usually allowed close approach.


Carter’s Semaphore Geckos (Pristurus carteri): these were the largest species of Pristurus that I encountered. They were about the size of a Military Dragon (Aus)/Sideblotch (US) and were capable of running rapidly for a number of meters. They certainly were charismatic little lizards that often curled their tail over their body. They seem to be widespread in Oman with records from much of the country. I found these on the dry side of the Dhofar Mountains near Salalah, on gravel flats near Mirbat and in dry coastal areas near Sur.




Pristurus composite photo:

Bar-tailed Semaphore Gecko (Pristurus celerrimus): (Top two photos) These are a mountain-dwelling species. They are found in various places in the Al Hajar Mountains from the UAE/Oman border areas through to Jebel Akhdar. I saw several late one afternoon on a rocky slope with Aloes at about 2000m on Jebel Akhdar. All were in shady places within crevices.
Least Semaphore Gecko (Gecko (Pristurus minimus): (Lower two photos). This was a tiny species that looked more like a juvenile lacertid than a gecko. It remained within shrub cover and was difficult to photograph. When disturbed, it would run at high speed to the cover of another shrub where it would freeze in the litter and become almost invisible. Lease Semaphore Geckos are widespread in eastern Oman.



Rock Semaphore Gecko (Pristurus rupestris): These small geckos were one of the most commonly observed reptiles in Oman. I found them at most sites except for the Empty Quarter. They ranged from the high Al Hajar Mountains south to coastal hills and flats near Salalah. I saw the most at about 2000m on Jebel Akhdar where they were abundant. It took me awhile on the first trip to find them due to their small size and dark colouration that blended well with the substrate. I may have overlooked another similar species on Jebel Akhdar known as Gallagher’s Semaphore Gecko (P. Gallagheri). According to the field guide, these apparently are found on the lower slopes of Jebel Akhdar. Females have a distinctive yellow dorsal stripe but males look almost identical to Rock Semaphore Geckos. I did not realize that there was another possible Pristurus in the area until I received the new field guide.




Fan-footed Gecko (Ptyodactylus orlovi): This was a recent split from the wide ranging P. hasselquistii . These geckos were big and one of the most commonly encountered geckos at lower elevations of Jebel Akhdar. I sometimes saw them right on the road where they seemed quite clumsy with those huge toe pads. On rock surfaces, they were fast and often raced into cover before I could approach for photos. Sometimes, they would jump from rock to rock to get away from me. There were always a few of these in the “gecko cave” near Al Hoota but they were never as common as Asaccus platyrhynchus. The field guide indicates that this species is found on Jebel Hafeet above Al Ain but I did not see any in that area.





Dhofar Fan-footed Gecko (Pytodactylus dhofarensis): This species was another recent split from P. hasselquistii . It is restricted to the Dhofar Mountains and adjacent areas of southwestern Oman. I found one on the dry side of the Dhofar Mountains near the Frankincense Reserve and another on the trunk of a Baobab Tree in monsoonal forest. This species seemed to be much paler and smaller than its northern relative.



Arabian Sand Gecko (Stendactylus arabicus): These beautiful geckos were one of my favourites. They also were abundant on sands near Al Ain. I found as many as 25 of these while I slowly walked dunes at night. They seemed to be the most active an hour or two after sunset when the surface of the sand began to cool. I often found them near the crest of dunes. I only encountered this species in the UAE although they are apparently widespread on sands in Oman as well.

Also included here is a shot of solifugid. This monster lunged at one of the sand geckos that ran from me after a photo session.




Arabian Sand Geckos have incredible front feet with both webbing and fringing scales (lower photo). I was therefore surprised to find other sand geckos southwest of Sur without webbing. Later, I heard from others that these were a known but at that time (mid-2013) still undescribed species. The species was described late last year and is known as Stenodactylus sharqiyahensis and is confined to the Wahiba Sands.


Wahiba Sand Gecko (Stenodactylus sharqiyahensis): These geckos were very much like Arabian Sand Geckos in the UAE but were more prominently marked and lacked the webbing on the front feet. I saw several while on a night walk about 100kms southwest of Sur. The new field guide was published too soon to include this newly describe species.



Dune Sand Gecko (Stenodactylus doriae): These big Stenodactylus were common on dunes near Al Ain and also on the Wahiba Sands southwest of Sur. I often saw them with their tails held upright. The field guide indicates that this is defensive behaviour. Often, the geckos were like this when I first spotted them. I initially thought that this might be related to thermoregulatory behaviour but perhaps the geckos had already seen my lights and already become alarmed. Dune Sand Geckos are widely distributed in the UAE and Oman.



Dune Sand Geckos from the Wahiba Sands looked different to those from the dunes near Al Ain. The Wahiba geckos were darker, more heavily spotted, more elongated and all had a backward directed crescent on their heads. The Wahiba Sands are a vast and are isolated from other sandy areas on the Arabian Peninsula. I would not at all be surprised to see additional splits as these animals are studied in the future.



Eastern Sand Gecko (Stenodacylus leptocosymbotes): These geckos were abundant on gravel flats near Sur and through the Empty Quarter. I found many by simply walking and scanning the flats.




AGAMIDAE

Anderson’s Rock Agama (Acanthocercus adramitanus): I found a single male of this gorgeous dragon and two females while I descended into Tawi Atayr one morning. This species is restricted monsoonal forest in the Dhofar Mountains. The male was shy but if I sat still, it would eventually emerge from the crevice where it hid and would then perch conspicuously. Females were even harder to approach and lived on rocks that were sheltered with large shrubs. I never could find one in the open for uncluttered photos.




Bloodsucker or Variable Agama (Callotes versicolor versicolor): This is an introduced species that is found in the Dhofar Mountains near Salalah. I saw one while descending into the limestone sinkhole know as Tawi Atayr.


Arabian Toad-headed Agama ( Phrynocephalus arabicus): These small dragons (size of Side Blotched Lizard) were numerous on dunes near Al Ain. They were active in hot conditions and often were sighted on rocks or dead vegetation. When on the sand surface, they held their toes and bodies high and curled their tail above their back. Arabian Toad-headed Agamas are widespread in the UAE but primarily found in the eastern Wahiba Sands of Oman.

A second Toad-headed Agama was possible (P. maculatus) but this species apparently likes firmer sands or gravel flats. There are records near Al Ain but I did not see any of these.




Sinai Agamas (Pseudotrapelus sinai ) have recently been split in Oman. One specimen from Jebel Akhdar in the central Al Hajar Mountains has been named Pseudotrapelus jensvindumi while others from the Dhofar Mountains and Salalah in southern Oman have received the name Pseudotrapelus dhofarensis. The ranges of these new species are not known. In this report, I am assuming that those that I found on Jebel Shams/Jebel Akhdar are P. jensvidumi whereas those from Dhofar are P. dhofarensis.


Sinai Agama (Pseudotrapelus sinai): I found this agama one hot afternoon near the Mercure Hotel at the top of Jebel Hafeet near Al Ain. Jebel Hafeet is an outlier of the Al Hajar Mountains. I am guessing that in time, the Pseudotrapelus from the Al Hajar mountains in Oman and adjacent UAE will be known as P. jensvindumi whereas those from the south will be known as P. dhofarensis. For now, there is no information about this dragon near Al Ain so I will leave it labelled as P. sinai.



Dhofar Agama (Pseudotrapelus dhofarensis): These beautiful agamas were common on dry, rocky slopes and flats north of Salalah. The females had less blue on their heads than the males. They also had an orange spot on their shoulders.



Pseudotrapelus jensvindumi: I am calling these dragons from Jebel Shams and Jebel Akhdar by this new name. The males were certainly stunning animals. I saw one at the base of Jebel Shams and three further up the mountain at about 1500m elevation. Males were conspicuous when perched at the tops of rock piles. They were shy animals and hard to approach for photos.




Yellow-spotted Agama(Trapelus flavimaculatus): I only saw this dragon once. Incredibly, it was on the road in the Empty Quarter in the middle of the day. The air temperature was 42C so I imagine the black asphalt was closer to 50C. The habitat here was incredibly bleak with hardly a plant in sight. I have no idea how this dragon could find sufficient resources for life in such a harsh place. At first, the dragon was very pale, almost white when facing our car. It darkened a little with stress when I pursued it for photos. This dragon was a dark phase individual. Males are bright blue and yellow when in display in the breeding season. Yellow-spotted Dragons are widely distributed throughout the UAE and Oman.




Bent’s Spiny-tailed Lizard (Uromastyx benti): These beautiful agamids have an isolated population north of Salalah. I observed three one morning. One was basking on a pile of rocks next to the road. The others (in this photo) were on rocks along a dirt track. They were extremely shy and dived into cover when I stopped the car maybe 75m from them. They disappeared before I even stepped out.
Male:

Female:


I passed through the range of two other species of Uromastyx. I expected to see Egyptian Spine-tailed Lizards (U. aegyptia microlepis) somewhere in the empty quarter but had no success. Likewise, Leptien’s Spiny-tailed Lizards (U. aegyptia leptieni) should have been possibilities in the UAE and adjacent Oman. Thomas’ Spiny-tailed Lizards (U. thomasi) were possible inland from Salalah near Thumrait but I did not know this at the time. I saw another report and photos of these interesting agamids along the road that heads northeast from Thumrait towards the coast.



LACERTIDAE

Bosc’s Fringe-toed Lizard (Acanthodactylus boskianus): This large lacertid, like others of the genus, had scales that formed fringe on the toes. These lizards lived along wadis. I found their burrows on the banks where they would take shelter if pursued too much. They seem to be a common species and I saw a number of them on trips to the Bahla area as well as inland from Sur. Bosc’s Fringe-toed Lizards are found on the inland side of the Al Hajar Mountains and also along the central and southern coasts of Oman.





Snake-tailed Fringe-toed Lizard (Acanthodactylus opheodurus): These fringe-toed lizards were only a little smaller than Bosc’s and they shared the same habitat. This species resembled juvenile Bosc’s but had tails with a reddish tinge. Juvenile Bosc’s had tails with a blue tinge (previous photo above). According to the field guide, Snake-tailed Fringe-toed Lizards are active earlier in the day than Bosc’s and they retire once temperatures become high. They emerge again late in the afternoon when temperatures cool a little. Bosc’s remained active for much of the day even when it was hot.
Snake-tailed Fringe-toed Lizards are found on the inland slopes of the Al Hajar Mountains and also along the central and southern portions of the country.




Schmidt’s (aka White-spotted) Fringe-toed Lizard (Acanthodactylus schmidti): These fringe-toed lizards were sand specialists and were fairly common on dunes where there plants for cover. They are widely distributed in the UAE but records are concentrated on the eastern flank of the Wahiba Sands in Oman.


Juveniles had blue-tinged tails.




Hadramaut Sand Lizard (Mesalina adramitana): I saw these lizards a few times. They seemed to be common near the coast to the southeast of Sur. I saw another inland from Sur on barren gravel flats. The species is widespread in both the UAE and Oman.



Jayakar’s Oman Lizard (Omanosaura jayakari): I saw only saw these lizards on my winter trip to the Bahla area. I searched for them in the summer and autumn but without success. Those that I encountered lived along the rock walls of a wadi near Al Hoota. They were large lacertids. The species is restricted to the Al Hajar Mountains from the border areas between the UAE and Oman to an area southeast of Muscat.



SCINCIDAE
Arabian Sandfish (Scincus mitranus): These beautiful skinks were common in dunes near Al Ain. They were generally wary and would disappear with a big “splash” when diving into the sand. Sometimes, their head would pop out to keep an eye on me. If I moved slowly, I could then closely approach for photos. When hunting, the skinks were constantly on the move up and down the faces of dunes. This activity left distinctive trails that criss-crossed the dunes. In the summer, I saw one at night on the road and observed another while I was on a night walk and looking for geckos. Sanfish are widespread in the UAE but more localized in Oman.

... foraging on a dune:

Tessellated Mabuya (Trachylepis tessellata): Ted and I saw several of these skinks while climbing into Tawi Atayr. They lived in damp, gloomy locations and I never was able to take a photo. This shot was one of Ted’s shots. Tessellated Skinks are widespread in Oman and are recorded from the southwest coast, the northern coast and the mountainous border areas between the UAE and Oman.



Jayakar’s Sand Boa (Eryx jayakari): This incredible snake was one of the highlights of my trips to the UAE. I found this on a hot, summer night while I searched the dunes near Al Ain for geckos. The snake was slowly crawling on the surface but it attempted to dive (in slow motion) once it saw my lights. There are many records of the species in the UAE but only a few widespread record in Oman.


Crowned Leaf-nosed Snake (aka, Awl-headed Snake) (Lytorhynchus diadema): I found this little juvenile in the Al Saleel Nature Park that is inland from Sur. The habitat was bleak, gravelly plains with scattered Acacia trees. Records are few but widespread in both the UAE and Oman.


Wadi Racer (Platyceps rhodarachis rhodorachis): I found this snake at dusk high up in a wadi on Jebel Akhdar. This was during my summer trip and the night was hot. The racer was crawling around small rocks and attempted to hide beneath these when I approached. Ted and I saw another near the border post of Hattah, Oman, on our final day of the trip. Records of this species appear concentrated along the UAE/Oman border, the central Al Hajar Mountains and in the Dhofar Mountains of the southwest of Oman.


Arabian Horned Viper (Cerastes gasperettii gasperettii): I found a DOR on a road through dunes near Al Ain. My only other sighting was of these tracks up a dune that I had explored the previous night. There are many widespread records of Horned Vipers in the UAE. In Oman, most records are inland from the coast from central Oman south to areas inland from Salalah.



Oman Saw-scaled Viper (Echis omanensis): I only found this single animal on the road up Jebel Akhdar. This record was on my summer trip and the night temperatures were high. This was one of the few successful night drives with large numbers of geckos on the road as well as the viper. Oman Saw-scaled Vipers are restricted the border areas between the UAE and Oman and the Al Hajar Mountains of Oman.


Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas): One was sighted while Ted and I were sea watching for birds southeast of Sur.

SITES AND HABITATS
OMAN MAP: Firstly, here is a map of the UAE and Oman that shows the routes that I covered. The road system is good with freeways or fast highways connecting most of the regions.



DUBAI
This is the airport where most people will arrive. Dubai is an amazing place with new, ultramodern skyscrapers. Freeways cross the city so it is not hard to get out of town and into the desert. I always fly Emirates on A380s, monster double-decker planes.

If I need to spend the night here, I stay at the Dubai Grand Hotel. It is reasonably priced and is near the ariport.


AL AIN
Map


Al Ain is about a two hour drive from the airport at Dubai. The city itself is lovely but I usually head across town to an isolated mountain known as Jebel Hafeet. This is located a little to the south of the city and near the border with Oman. I stay at the Jebel Hafeet Mercure, a hotel with superb views over the surrounding desert. The gardens are on oasis on the mountain top and attract many of local and migrant birds.
The main reason for visiting this site is the ready access to these beautiful red dunes. They can be reached along most of the roads that head northwest towards Abu Dhabi. These sites are good for Arabian Sandfish, Schimdt’s Fringe-toed Lizards, Arabian Toad-headed Agama, Arabian Sand Gecko, Dune Sand Gecko, Jayakar’s Sand Boa and others.



Al Ain Birds:
• Hume’s Wheatear
• White-eared Bulbul
• Chukar
• Hoopoe Lark
• Egyptian Vulture



Al Ain Butterflies: The gardens around the Mercure Hotel were good for butterflies.
• Caper White (Anphaeis aurota)
• Salmon Arab (Colotis fausta)
• Blue Pansy (Precis orithya)
• Giant Skipper (Coeliades anchises)



Mercure. I like this hotel and stay here on each of my visits.



BAHLA and the AL HAJAR MOUNTAINS
Map


Bahla is about a 4 hour drive (including customs) from Al Ain. I usually make the border crossing and then drive on to Ibri where I can use an ATM to obtain Oman Rials. Most stores and petrol stations do not take credit cards so cash is essential. This is changing fast, though, and I found a few petrol stations on my last trip that would accept cards.
I always stay at the Jibreem Hotel on the north western edge of town. It is a little expensive depending upon the season but there are not many alternatives in Bahla or Nizwa.

Bahla fort: This old fort is a UNESCO site. It is locted along the main road through town.


From Jibreem Hotel, I drive through town towards Nizwa then take turnoffs that eventually head up Jebel Akhdar towards the Al Hoota Guesthouse. I continue past this for another couple of kms and then reach a lookout with beautiful views of the Al Hajar Mountains. This is an exceptionally dry place with lots of rocks but not many plants. There are a few gnarly old juniper trees on some of the more sheltered slopes. It was quite cool here in the winter. Even in summer, the temperatures drop fast once the sun sets.
This area is where I saw many Rock Semaphore Geckos, Bar-tailed Semaphore Geckos, Jebel Akhdar Leaf-toed Geckos, Hajar Mountains Leaf-toed Geckos, a few Gallagher’s/Flat-headed Leaf-toed Geckos, Banded Ground Geckos, a few Fan-footed Geckos, Pseudotrapelus jensvindumi , Wadi Racer and the Oman Saw-scaled Viper.





This was one of the most productive sites on each trip. I found this “gecko cave” on my first visit in a wadi near Al Hoota. The cave was damp and seemed to attract many geckos of several species. Flat-headed Leaf-toed Geckos were the most numerous but there also were good numbers of Hajar Mountains Leaf-toed Geckos and Fan-footed Geckos. By day, I saw Rock Semaphore Geckos and Jayakar’s Oman Lizards in the wadi.

Bahla butterflies:
• Common Tiger (Danaus chrysippus)
• Little Tiger Pierrot (Tarucus balkanicus)
• Blue-spotted Arab (Colotis phisadia)
• Desert Fourring (Ypthima bolanica)


These giant milkweeds are known as Sodom Apples (Calotropis procera)




EMPTY QUARTER
This is a vast area that extends through central Oman from a little south of Bahla to the Dhofar Mountains about 800kms to the south. Most of the area seems to be devoid of plants. I saw very little along the drive. Occasional larks or Brown-necked Ravens were about the only birds encountered.


An interesting sidetrip was a journey of about 25 kms along dirt tracks north of Qatbit to an oasis known as Muntasar. There is permanent water here and the site was attractive to many birds. My visit in October was during the height of migration and I saw all sorts of non-desert birds here such as Pallid Harriers, Eurasian Golden Orioles, European Rollers, Rose-coloured Starlings, migrant warblers, flycatchers, shrikes, buntings as well as locals such as larks and sandgrouse. I think that it would be interesting to camp here and explore the edges of the oasis at night. There must be a few snakes such as Arabian Horned Vipers that would be attracted to this place with lots of potential food.

Birds at the oasis:
• Ruff
• Black-crowned Finch Lark
• Turkestan Shrike(?)
• Spotted Sandgrouse




SALALAH and the DHOFAR MOUNTAINS
Map

This was my favourite site on the trip. Habitats were diverse and ranged from extreme desert to lush, green monsoonal forest on the coast facing slopes of the Dhofar Mountains. A drive to the south of Salalah followed a spectacular, rugged coastline.


Ted and I stayed at the Samhamram Tourist Village. We were pleased to see Frankincense Trees planted in gardens.


Dhofar birds:
• South Arabian Wheatear
• Blackstart
• Mixed flock of gulls.


Dhofar butterflies:
• Small Salmon Arab (Colotis calais)
• Common Tiger (Danaus chrysippus)
• Blue Pansy (Precis orithya)
Colotis sp.


Monsoonal forest grew on the coast facing slopes of the Dhofar Mountains. It supported Baobabs and the nicely flowering cousins of Royal Poinciana known as Delonix elata. This was the habitat where I observed Anderson’s Rock Agamas, Bloodsucker, Tessellated Mabuya, Dhofar Fan-footed Geckos, Ali Kiymi’s Leaf-toed Gecko and Central Dhofar Leaf-toed Gecko. Chameleons also were found here but we did not see any during our visits.


One day, Ted and I headed north to the Mirbat area. This site was extremely dry. We found Bent’s Spiny-tailed Lizards, Carter’s Semaphore Geckos, Rock Semaphore Geckos, Dhofar Agama and Central Dhofar Leaf-toed Gecko.


We followed a wadi inland from Al-Mughsayl and found an area with many succulents. Desert Rose (Adenium arabicum) were numerous and flowering. Euphorbs, Cissus quadrangularis, Aloes and Frankincense were numerous.


Desert Rose looked like something that Dr. Seuss would have created. Their flowers resemble those of Oleander and they are members of the same family (Apocynaceae).




SUR
Sur map


The Sur area produced Agamas (Pseudotrapelus jensvindumi ), Carter’s Semaphore Geckos, Rock Semaphore Geckos, Least Semaphore Gecko, Eastern Sand Geckos, Baluch’s Ground Geckos, Dune Sand Geckos, as Stenodactylus sharqiyahensis, Bosc’s Fringe-footed Lizards, Hadramaut Sand Lizards, Green Turtles and a Crowned Leaf-nosed Snake.





My interest in Oman was originally piqued in the early '90s after purchasing "The Birds of Oman" by Gallagher/Woodcock. The book included habitat shots and information about the country. It always seemed like such an exotic place and was high on my wish-list for sites to visit.

2012 and 2013 were big years for the herpetology of Oman. A number of papers were published that described new species from the country.

Margarita Metallinou & Salvador Carranza (2013). "New species of Stenodactylus (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from the Sharqiyah Sands in northeastern Oman". Zootaxa

Margarita Metallinou, Edwin Nicholas Arnold, Pierre-André Crochet, Philippe Geniez, José, Carlos Brito, Petros Lymberakis, Sherif Baha El Din, Roberto Sindaco, Michael Robinson and Salvador Carranza (2012). “Conquering the Sahara and Arabian deserts: systematics and biogeography of Stenodactylus geckos (Reptilia: Gekkonidae)”. Zootaxa.

SALVADOR CARRANZA & EDWIN NICHOLAS ARNOLD (2012). “A review of the geckos of the genus Hemidactylus (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from Oman based on morphology, mitochondrial and nuclear data, with descriptions of eight new species”. Zootaxa.

Nazarov, Roman; Daniel Melnikov, Ekaterina Melnikova 2013. Three New Species of Ptyodactylus (Reptilia; Squamata; Phyllodactylidae) from the Middle East. Russ. J. Herpetol.

Daniel Andreevich Melnikov, Natalia Borisovna Ananjeva, Theodore J. Papenfuss. 2013. A New Species of Pseudotrapelus (Agamidae, Sauria) from Nizwa, Oman. Russian Journal of Herpetology.

Melnikov D. and Pierson T. 2012. A new species of Pseudotrapelus (Agamidae, Sauria) from Dhofar, Oman. Current Studies in Herpetology

Best of all was the publication of a beautiful new field guide, “The Amphibians and Reptiles of Oman and the UAE” by Andrew Gardner. This is an excellent reference that provides detailed species accounts and photos. It includes range maps which are useful when deciding on sites to visit. I would highly recommend the purchase of this book by anyone interesting in reptiles from this part of the world.

The “Birdwatching Guide to Oman” is well worth purchasing before a visit to the country. The book describes good areas for birding but these generally are places with good habitat for reptiles as well. The book provides GPS coordinates for each site.

The “Birds of the United Arab Emirates” is a good new field guide to the UAE and most of Oman. I also purchased “The Birds of Oman” long ago and it certainly is a good reference.






SUGGESTED ITINERARY
• Fly to Dubai, pick up a hire car and drive to Al Ain, UAE, for a 2 night stay.
o 2.5 hours from Dubain International Airport to Al Ain
o Reptiles will include the sand specialists such as Arabian Sandfish, Arabian Toad-headed Agamas, Schmidt’s Fringe-footed Lizards, Arabian Sand Geckos, Dune Sand Geckos, Jayakar’s Sand Boa, Arabian Horned Viper
o Accommodation: Jebel Hafeet Mercure Hotel
• Drive from Al Ain to Bahla, Oman, for a 3 night stay.
o 4 hours from Al Ain to Bahla
o Reptiles will include Pseudotrapelus jensvindumi , Jayakar’s Oman Lizard, Snake-tailed Fringe-toed Lizard, Bosc’s Fringe-toed Lizard, Banded Ground Gecko, Jebel Akhdar Leaf-toed Gecko, Hajar Mountain Leaf-toed Gecko, Flat-headed Leaf-toed Gecko, Gallagher’s Leaf-toed Gecko, Fan-footed Gecko, Rock Semaphore Gecko, Bar-tailed Semaphore Gecko, (Gallagher’s Semaphore Gecko), Wadi Racer, Oman Saw-scaled Viper.
o Accommodation: Jibreem Hotel
• Drive Bahla to Qatbit Hotel in the Empty Quarter, for a 1 night stay
o 8 hour drive
o Visit Muntasar Oasis, preferably at night for geckos and snakes
o Reptiles will include Yellow-bellied House Gecko, Eastern Sand Gecko, Baluch’s Ground Geckos.
• Drive Qatbit to Salalah for a 4 night stay
o 3 hour drive
o Salalah is home to many species of reptiles depending upon the habitat visited.
o Accommodation at Samhamram Tourist Village
• Drive Salalah to Sur for a 3 night stay
o 12 hour drive
o Reptiles will include Eastern Sand Gecko, Baluch’s Ground Gecko, Banded Ground Gecko, Dune Sand Gecko, Stenodactylus sharqiyahensis, Crowned Leaf-nosed Snake, Bosc’s Fringe-footed Lizard, Green Turtle, Rock Semaphore Gecko, Least Semaphore Gecko
o Accommodation Resort Sur Beach Holiday
• Drive Sur to Dubai International Airport
o 8 hour drive

Keelback or brown

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Me and the misses are having an argument about what snake this is i'm saying keelback she said brown. What do you guys think?
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New in Brisbane, let's go herping !

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Hi everybody,

As I already said in my presentation message, I'm a french herper coming to Brisbane (yes I'm gonna live there one year long) !
I don't know Australia, and I don't know Australian species that's why I'm looking for some people who can come or invite me to come on the field next to Brisbane !
As I'm european, all I know about Australia is: "Oh, there are so venomous snakes, crocodiles, the catastrophic Cane toad and a big variety of lizards !).

I just want to see by myself how rich is Australia's wildfile (any kind of species but amphibians and reptiles just own my heart and my mind).
You know, most of the european people come to Australia with a checklist !
Of course, I have an idea of my checklist (I'll show you) but I'm not coming just to see these few species I really love, and I will not die if I can't see them so if anybody wants to go on the field with me, just don't matter about that list !

This is my "checklist" of Australia (no order of preference):

- Coastal Taipan (everybody in the world have this on his checklist).
- Freshwater and Saltwater Crocodiles (of course ! I've never seen wild crocs !).
- Red-bellied black snake (that snake is just wonderful).
- Common Death Adder (I love adders, any kind of !).
- Blue-tongued skink (just a funny lizard ahahah)
- Any king of sea snake a sea turtles !

There are many other species I want to see but I can't write everything...
Yes, I didn't include any amphibian, but that's because I don't know them already.
Of course you can add Koala, Platypus, Kangaroo, Dugong, Whales and Sharks because I'm a naturalist but also a great tourist and I like to mix it !

So, that list doesn't matter, all I want is to discover these species Australia can offer to my eyes !
I wish some of you will be pleased to come on the field with me !

I'll be in Brisbane in the beggining of march (arriving the 2nd but need some time to install).

Well, have a nice day and I wish, see you soon !

Red Belly Black Vs Brown

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A mate sent this photo from his farm near Waitpinga South Australia. Apparently they were separated, though only one survived.
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A kind request for help!

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Hi guys,

I'm a herper from UK and have just been given free flights to Brisbane from the end of February to mid-March. Since I've never herped Australia before, it'd be a shame to waste such a valuable opportunity. However, my usual herping companions aren't willing to spend £1000+ on flights for an impromptu 2.5 week herping trip, so I'm going it alone. As such, I'm looking for local people who might be willing to provide some advice, locations or even physical assistance during my trip?

I'll be landing in Brisbane, renting a car and travelling up to Townsville and back, so anywhere in the vicinity of that route would be perfect.

I'm happy to provide proof that I'm legit/won't share your spots/generally nice person from reputable sources.

Cheers,
Tom

Garden Skinks Fighting

Broken Hill Herping

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Hey everyone.

I am making this thread to upload photos of each time I go herping in my local area; Broken Hill.

I had a few good photos from a year ago, though not sure if I made a post for them as my laptop died recently, so lost a few photos.

A few landscape photos from the past couple weeks.






I decided to head out to an area called the living desert, which also contains a site with large sandstone sculptures.
My main target was to find Egernia stokesii, Pseudechis australis, and Pseudonaja species; non of which I found.

Tiliqua rugosa pair that I found within 1 metre of each other.


Suspected Pseudechis australis skin

Ctenotus robusta. I tried to get a nice photo of it on the ground, but it shot off like a rocket when I put it down.

This Kangaroo was feeding her joey and she would not move from in front of the car until her joey was finished feeding, which allowed me to get a halfway decent photo of her.


I also came across a young goanna towards the end of the day. Though, it heard me before I saw it and it ran away before I got the chance to get a photo.

I decided to head back out to the same location a couple nights later, in the search for nocturnal snakes and geckos.

Started off by finding another Tiliqua rugosa, attempting to hide under a few strands of reed grass.


My next find was very exciting for me, as it is one of my target species of gecko.

Nephrurus milii




Lastly I came across a Pogona vitticeps sleeping in a tree.


Will hopefully be heading out within the next couple of days in an attempt to find more gecko species.

Anyone on here from roma qld

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Just wandering if anyone knows any good spots around roma to see reptiles.

5 snakes in Australia - ID requested, please

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Hi all,

Last november, I've encountered several snakes. Could you please help me identify these creatures? I tried to catch them on camera.

Not all of the pictures are showing the entire snake, but I hope it's clear enough to analyze.

Myself I thought that these are
1. Eastern Brown,
2. Juvenile Eastern Brown (due the banded stripes, green with black) or a Coastal Taipan?
3. Tiger Snake
4. Tree Snake
5. Copperhead or a Tiger snake (this last one we saw in the Blue Mountains by the way).

Thanks very much in advance!
Regards, Schapie.

1.Spot: Apollo Bay, Otway NP (VIC)

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2. Spot: Apollo Bay, Otway NP (VIC)

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3. Spot: Great Ocean Road, Twelve Apostles (VIC)
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4. Spot: Airlie Beach (QLD)
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5. Spot: Blue Mountains (NSW)
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A few photos from the Snowy Mountains

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I've just returned from a two-night trip to Kosciuszko National Park. I visited the area to try and find a few of the alpine reptiles and butterflies that I had not yet seen. Most of my time was spent in the Charlotte Pass area along the summit walk to Mt. Kosciuszko. The weather was mostly sunny and warm with highs in the upper teens/low 20s.


Mt. Kosciuszko: I did not take the time to climb it but spent several hours along the summit walk. I was fortunate to have excellent weather on both days of my visit. Our highest mountain is really just a hill by world standards!



Habitat near Charlotte Pass:




Snow Gums (Eucalyptus pauciflora): These were the most beautiful at dusk. The low sun angles really seemed to accentuate the colours of the bark.



... Many Snow Gums had bulbous trunks like this:




Gang Gang Cockatoo. I saw a few including a small group that was feeding on the roadside one morning.




Southern Grass Skink (Pseudemoia entrecasteauxii)?: Not certain but I think that the following are this species.





... transparent eyelid:




Pseudemoia sp.: I saw several of these tiny skinks at dusk in a boggy area. They always reacted to the pre-flash. Any ideas as to the species?




Guthega Skink (Liopholis guthega): These were fairly common in the Charlotte Pass area.




... juveniles





Water Skink (Eulamprus tympanum): These were fairly common in rocky areas near water. Most were dark and almost appeared black in the morning.




... some had a greenish tint to their scales:



... habitat:





Highland Copperhead (Austrelaps ramsayi): This species was common the area and I encountered four. The first one below expressed its displeasure when it saw me in the grass in front of it.




... I had a close encounter with this copperhead. I was concentrating on the approach to a Heteronympha butterfly and suddenly realized that I was standing right next to this snake. It had flattened its neck but otherwise remained motionless. The snake was fortunately well behaved.




White-lipped Snake (Drysdalia coronoides): I saw this small snake as it crossed the summit walk one morning.






A few plants were flowering. Composites were attractive to the Xenica butterflies.





Orange Alpine Xenica (Oreixenica correae): This and the following were species that I really hoped to see. They are only active from mid-summer to early autumn in the high country of the Snowies.



... habitat of Orange Alpine Xenica:



Spotted Alpine Xenica (Oreixenica orichora): I think that the following are all Spotted Alpine Xencia. These and Orange Alpine Xenica are quite similar in pattern. I found these mostly above treeline in alpine areas with flowering composites.



... habitat of Spotted Alpine Xenica:



Bright-eyed Bob (Heteronympha cordace): This was a tiny species of Heteronympha and not much bigger than the Xenicas. I only saw a few, mostly near Guthega. They had a habit of folding their wings and dropping into clumps of grass where they were hard to photograph.





Australian Painted Lady (Vanessa kershawi)



Alpine Sedge-Skipper (Oreisplanus munionga): These were attractively marked skippers. I found several in a wet area on the outskirts of Guthega.



... sedge-skipper habitat:




Photos of various insects.
1,2: Mountain Katydids were numerous, especially at dusk. Females (as pictured) are flightless and display these warning colours when disturbed. Males were winged and I saw many in the evening as they flew across the road.
3: A huge coccinellid.
4: These blue-green coloured grasshoppers were common in Epacris shrubs.

little python from the weekend, which type or carpet?

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Hey all, ran into a bubba python sleeping on some road going down to a spot I critter hunt at (invertebrates, no herps etc).

I can narrow down the ID's on plenty of inverts but am crap at telling between the different carpet pythons(coastals, inlands and scrubbies).

Sorry the pics aren't better and the colours and patterning are washed out, they were taken with my wifes tablet and a torch, if it helps the heat pitting on the face was very well defined and it's head very angular (though young ones heads often are).

Don't worry I let the bud go after 2-3 pics and then took 2 more of it on the tree I put it on.
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Brown tree snake

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Well - its, um, a tree snake and its, um, brown
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Worst Model ever!

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ONe of the most uncooperative animals ever. She had a sixth sense and would pose beautifully whenever a camera wasn't pointing at her.
OH - and the homeowner IDed it over the phone as a red-naped. I said very unlikely and use caution
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Another baby brown

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A baby brown that decided to camp out on a womans back step. Photo session was cut short as the snake hid under my boot then disappeared. I decided to strip to ensure that she hadn't gone up my leg. An unlikely scenario but..

We also had an adult brown for the session as well. I had spent a lot of time getting it out from under the main walkway of a major tourist attraction. Normally browns want to go another round when released or photoed but this one just took off at a fantastic pace and disappeared
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A bundle of terror in a womans bedroom

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She was terrified of..

You can't get a sense of scale from the photo but imagine a shoe lace cut to the length of your finger.
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five

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I pulled five out of one house. I have a horrible feeling that the hubby dealt with 4 more
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