The ‘Wrangler’ Writes...
Hello and welcome to another
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Heading into winter, most herpers
with substantial collections will
be thinking about what they
hope to achieve next season,
along with conducting important
annual maintenance. It’s a good
opportunity to change all your
UV lights if you haven’t done so
recently.
We have a great line up of articles for you in this
issue, starting with an excellent piece from Simon
Fearn on snake bite in Tasmania and the early
settlers’ interactions with the local elapids. It’s one
of Simon’s pet topics and makes for fascinating
reading.
Then we travel to Alice Springs for a week to
go field herping with four mates and tick off as
many species as possible. Aussie reptiles are very
popular in the US; Dr T. C. Houston is a dedicated
breeder of blue-tongues in Denver, Colorado, and
has contributed a report on a birthing event that
took nearly two weeks!
Of course, Ben Dessen is along, and on this
occasion focusses his attention on enclosures, and
how to choose what is best for your reptiles. Andrew
Horlor is going to stir up some controversy with a
well-constructed argument that we be allowed to
keep some exotic species, and we hear firsthand
from a keeper who recently experienced a serious
bite from a Spotted Black Snake.
Plus our US correspondent Vickie Lillo journeys
to Costa Rica to investigate some amazing
amphibians, and there is another instalment in
our continuing series on historical herpetology;
this time we look at the stellar but tragic career of
Gerard Krefft. Finally, we have another update from
one of our favourite conservation projects. The
Gnaraloo Wilderness Foundation is struggling to
receive recognition from government authorities
for its ground-breaking work with turtles on WA’s
Coral Coast, and is desperate for support. There
is merchandise and sponsorship options available
on their website – please help them in any way you
can.
Happy Herping!
John McGrath
This case also demonstrates the uncertainty surrounding
snake identification during the colonial period. Because
of extensive variation in colour, particularly amongst
Tiger Snakes, 60 and the use of interchangeable common
names, it is often unclear as to the species in question.
Early newspapers are full of editorial debates on the
topic, and it was not widely accepted until the 1930s that
W ater was poured from a height of 12 feet over his
head, ammonia every five minutes to the nostrils, severe
beatings on the back and the arms nettled....
iHerp Australia
only three variable species occurred in the state - the
water poured from a height of 12 feet over his head and
Tiger Snake (Notechis scutatus), the Lowlands
neck every five minutes, ammonia every five minutes to
Copperhead (Austrelaps superbus) and the White-lipped
the nostrils, severe beatings on the back (worthy to be
Snake (Drysdalia coronoides). In 1930 Herbert Hedley
remembered), the arms nettled, and ammonia rubbed in
Scott, Curator of the Queen Victoria Museum and Art
also on the spine. At 3 o'clock we looked hopelessly on
Gallery in Launceston, appears to have lost patience with
him; he was inanimate, and the heart’s action almost
the endless debate about snake identity and wrote a long
suspended. I told the men all depended on their exertions
letter to the editor of the Examiner in which he supplies a
and they were redoubled. At this stage a mustard plaister
useful list of all the common names that had been
was applied along the whole spine, and the feet placed in
employed in the state. 68 Tiger Snakes were called
hot water and mustard, this appeared to be the turning
‘brown-banded
snakes’, ‘black
‘carpet
point nd
- he so evidently
rallied;
at about
he knew
in November
2018,
Jack 5 o'clock
numbers
of Central
Netted Dragons
where snakes’
I felt we and
were
unlikely to se
snakes’. There
Copperheads
called ‘superb
his mother,
and recognised
friends.’ But (Ctenophorus
the patient’s nuchalis).
and I returned
to ‘The his
Alice’,
was were
anything
else, so snakes’,
I put the foot dow
‘copper
snakes’,
snakes’,
‘large-scaled
ordeal
over yet.
Fearful whether to dirt
let him
along was
with not
Andrew
Mihelakis,
and sleep
large rocks
mounded
up ‘diamond
a bit
and started
heading snakes’
back to
another friend from Melbourne, and
along the sides of the road, creating
base. About 10 minutes later, we
Will Kruger, also originally from
perfect habitat for the dragons,
sped past a nuggetty little gecko at
Melbourne but now working as a
which basked on top of the rocks and about 90kph. I knew immediately
keeper in Featherdale Wildlife Park,
made their burrows underneath.
that it was a knob-tail, so I slamme
Sydney. We chose to visit in spring,
Unfortunately, since our last visit the on the brakes and turned around ju
when many animals would be
road had been remade; the roadsides
in time to see the gecko making a
particularly active, and our trip also
had been completely cleared and
bolt for the side of the road. It was
coincided with part of the lunar cycle there wasn’t a Central Netted Dragon male Centralian Knob-tailed Geck
in which there would be no moon at
in sight.
(Nephrurus amyae); a species that
night – an added advantage for
we were very keen to tick off. It w
nocturnal herping.
We did see a couple of Central
also the only one we would see on
Bearded Dragons (Pogona vitticeps)
this trip. Most nights we drove the
along the road, but our best find was
roads until sometime between 11:0
a Lined Firetail Skink (Morethia
pm and 1:00 am.
ruficauda ruficauda), which was
Upon arrival in Alice Springs in the
discovered by turning a piece of junk
late morning, Jack, Andrew and I
that we had spotted at the side of the
picked up the rental car and headed
road. The temperature was quite hot,
to our accommodation in a cabin in
probably in the low 30s; most of the
Alice Springs Tourist Park. Although week was not overly hot, and a lot of
The following day we again heade
there are some places that you can
the time the daytime temperature did
west to the West MacDonnell
only visit in a 4WD, the roads are
not exceed the high 20s.
National Park to do some explorin
generally very good. We chose a
by foot amongst the open, rocky
normal sedan, as it would be
gorges and dried river beds. Long-
That night we cruised the roads west
perfectly adequate to get to the spots
nosed Dragons (Amphibolurus
of Alice Springs, following the West
on our list. We returned to the airport MacDonnell Ranges for around 150
longirostris) love to hide up in the
to pick up Will, who had flown in
kilometres. We saw heaps of
dry watercourses – they were ever
from Sydney, at about 1:00 pm, and
Northern Spiny-tailed Geckos
where. They are also incredibly fas
then immediately drove to a location
(Strophurus ciliaris) on the road – so which means that for every 50 you
about 20 kilometres south of town, in many that we soon tired of stopping
see, you will probably get a good
which we had previously seen large
to have a look. It got to the stage
look at one or two. A Black-heade
Issue
A 13 | July - August 2019
CONTENTS
Snakes and snake bite
in early Tasmania.
4
4
Day 1.
Day 2.
Simon Fearn examines
the colourful history
of the island state.
Alice’s Wonderland.
7 days; 29 species of herps...
Hard Labour!
Prolonged Parturition
in a Captive Northern
Blue-tongue Skink.
What’s New?
Ben’s Reptiles 101:
‘Home Sweet Home.’ Choosing
an enclosure for your reptiles.
A Good Book.
‘Reptiles of Victoria.’
Exotics are Everywhere –
Even in Your Collection!
16
24
28 1.
1 .
33
34
will (again, like many large frogs) eat anything they
can fit into their mouths, including other frogs, bird
chicks, and even snakes and scorpions. This species
Veined Tree Frog (Hyla phlebodes). We even manag
to stumble across the very common, but difficult to
see, Bransford’s Litter Frog (Craugastor bransfordii)
a master in the art of camouflage. As a ground-
dwelling species on a forest floor rife with predator
this diurnal rain frog has created its own niche, and
avoids predation by a series of rapid hops before
diving into the leaf litter. Another species to emplo
direct development, Bransford’s Litter Frogs’ eggs
hatch as tiny froglets.
24
All of a sudden, Jason stops. He slowly approaches a
large green leaf, broad as my hand, and shines his
torch underneath the foliage. “This is an Emerald
Glass Frog,” he explains. “There is a large black
“There is a large black market for these; in
Europe they go for upwards of $600 apiece.”
also has the distinction of possessing more sex
chromosomes (six pairs) than any other vertebrate,
and will miaow like a cat if handled!
market for these; in Europe they go for upwards of
$600 apiece. People want them to put in a
terrarium, where they can live for 5-6 years.”
Virtually transparent, this see-through amphibian’s
2
Bitten! 38
Hopping around Costa Rica. 44
Vickie Lillo in search of
some unique amphibians.
52
44
Historical Herpetology.
At iHerp Australia, we believe
the work at Gnaraloo to be
An artist at heart: Gerard
one of Krefft.
the most important and
2.
outstanding conservation pro-
jects in the country. So much
so, that we created a limited
edition poster to benefit the
turtles (see below). The Chair
of the GWF, Karen Hattingh,
is a tireless advocate for the
turtles, and to think that all of
their accomplishments have
been, inexplicably, totally
bereft of government funding -
or indeed recognition - is not
only fundamentally wrong (you
would be hard pressed to find
a more deserving project), but
also perhaps indicative of
government mismanagement
and inefficiency.
Turtles struggle
to find a voice,
as Conservation Program
fails to gain recognition.
A letter to the editor.
1
In the following days, the female’s behaviour was
observed as typical postpartum activity: eating,
drinking and thermoregulating
normally. No contrac-
Other ‘living jewels’ of the Costa Rican rainforest
make a offspring
brief appearance, were
like the yellow Hourglass
tions or attempts to birth more
Tree Frog (Dendropsophus ebraccatus), and the
The case for allowing
non-native species in Australia.
Envenomation by a
Spotted Black Snake.
16
young and one underdeveloped stillborn. Once
again, by 18:00 on 7 June the parturition process
had paused and all observable contractions had
ceased.
54
54
3.
58
Below left: the Gnaraloo Turtle Conservation
Program collected baseline data and protected
nesting sites for more than a decade.
Above: the beaches at Gnaraloo are vital for
Go to:
endangered Loggerhead Turtles.
www.gnaraloo.org
Postal
Address:
Images courtesy of Karen Hattingh, Gnaraloo Turtle
gnaraloo.org/be-a-turtle-friend/
Conservation Program.
12 Haines
Facebook: Gnaraloo Wilderness Foundation
and Street Mitcham, Victoria, 3132
Below: the limited edition poster now available at the
Gnaraloo Turtle Conservation Program.
GWF website (see left).
Advertising Enquiries:
Publisher: John McGrath
[email protected]
IT & Marketing: Andy Round
And to purchase your poster to support the turtles,
[email protected][email protected]
visit: http://gnaraloo.org/shop/
[email protected]
Social Media: Vince Pintaudi
On the cover: On the cover: although this juvenile
Additional Design:
Tiger Snake possesses venom as potent as any
Rachael Hammond
adult, it initially relies on its impressive defensive
Next Issue: September 2019.
display to ward off potential predators. Tiger
Website: www.iherpaustralia.com.au
Snake (Notechis scutatus), Rocky Gully, Western
Facebook:
Australia. Image by Ross McGibbon.
www.facebook.com/iherpaustralia/
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