1.
1, ‘One of the nicest
Carpet Pythons I’ve ever
seen.’
2. We saw several small
Amethystine Pythons
(Morelia amethistina),
but none of any great
size.
3. This Water Python
(Liasis fuscus) was found
in a dry creek bed in the
Daintree.
4. The same area
yielded this Chameleon
Gecko (Carphodactylus
laevis).
geckos is by eye-shine, because
otherwise it is very difficult to
distinguish them from their
surroundings.
Next stop as we headed north was
the renowned Daintree Rainforest,
which is part of the largest tropical
rainforest in Australia, as well as
being the oldest surviving tropical
rainforest in the world. As a measure
of the diversity of flora and fauna it
supports, the Daintree is home to
numerous ancient, relict species of
plants, the origins of which may be
traced back more than 100 million
years, as well as 30% of the reptile,
frog and marsupial species found in
Australia. During our visit, the
Daintree was unfortunately a little
quiet in terms of animal life. We
managed to turn up a Water Python
(Liasis fuscus) while again searching
along a dry creek bed. In the same
spot we also found a Chameleon
Gecko (Carphodactylus laevis). This
unique gecko sits on small plants
facing head down to wait for a meal.
When a potential prey item walks
past, like a cockroach or other insect,
it jumps down from its perch and
ambushes the unlucky bug. I didn’t
get a shot of the Chameleon Gecko
grabbing its dinner, but it was
interesting to watch nonetheless.
After the Daintree, we continued
north to Black Mountain, or
Kalkajaka, which lies about 25
kilometres south west of Cooktown
and marks the northernmost end of
the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area.
2.