The ‘Wrangler’ Writes...
Welcome to another issue of
Australia’s favourite online reptile
and amphibian magazine. The
breeding season is well and truly
upon us, and the results of all
those exciting breeding projects
should soon be apparent. Plus
there will be a lot more juvenile
herps for enthusiasts to choose
from. Send us a pic if you hatch
out something unusual.
This issue kicks off with a great
article from Kit Prendergast on
lizard pollinators and seed dispersers. Turns out
that there are many lizards which are absolutely
indispensable for the reproduction of plant species;
who would have guessed? We decided, for the first
time, to feature an exotic species on our cover, as a
sort of tribute to these amazing reptiles.
Next, Mitch Hodgson takes us to an incredible
landscape in semi-arid western NSW. Then, the
results of three days I spent in Huadiwan market
in Guangzhou – Chinese herp lovers are being
spoilt by a bunch of unbelievable morphs and
mutations, but some of our humble Aussie species
still command ridiculous prices.
Plus Ben Dessen is out to debunk some popular
herp myths; we have two columns by resident vets
Dr Josh Llinas and Dr Tom Vowell; and we look at
an exotic species that may have already become a
permanent Australian resident. Vickie Lillo visits the
St. Augustine Alligator Farm, and Neville Burns is
on the road again up north.
As we head towards Xmas, thank you all for your
support over the last year. iHerp Australia remains
free to download or read online, so if you like what
you see, please tell your friends – we depend on
you! Speaking of which, we also depend on our
fantastic sponsors, so please support them in any
way possible, perhaps when you are doing the
Xmas shopping! Kellyville Pets still has a special
offer of $20 off online orders for iHerp readers, and
together with Amazing Amazon has some great
specials for Xmas. Both of these herp retailers
also offer gift vouchers – I know what I want from
Santa! Take a moment to have a look at our other
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Happy Herping!
John McGrath
Iguanas have been documented to effectively
seeds of Melocactus curvispinus which adhere
snouts when they consume the fleshy fruits. M
seeds stuck to the lizards’ snouts germinated
numbers and at faster rates than ingested see
those collected from fruits.
iHerp Australia
deadlines to meet and couldn’t stay
too long, but it was nice having the
chance to hunt for the bustard!
Once we returned to the homestead
and had some lunch I went over to
Mexican Spiny-tailed
pectinata)
the lab to Iguana
do some (Ctenosaura
work on a presen-
I was garden
giving the
eating leaves in tation
a herb
in following
Puerto Vallarta,
But about ten minutes later a
Mexico. Image day.
by Jeremy
Christensen.
student came rushing in saying there
was a snake… and with that I was
off. A few students had been sitting
in the outdoor common area having
afternoon tea when a beautiful
Eastern Brown Snake (Pseudonaja
textilis) had come right past them –
obviously searching for some shade
to escape the heat. Most were
spooked, but a few were absolutely
stoked and followed the snake to
take photos.
Issue 9 | Nov - Dec 2018
CONTENTS
Seduced by Flower Power!
Lizards as Pollinators and
Seed Dispersers.
4
Shortly after we had left the snake to
go on its merry way, a student came
running over with a herp that
everyone is familiar with; a Central
Bearded Dragon (Pogona vitticeps).
So far, the s e only
k a n S beardies
w o C , ) s u t I’d
a t t u seen
g s i h p o r e h t n a P ( s e k a n S n r o C
had all been dead
, s e k a - n most
S t a R notably
y a r G s a the
n w o n k o s l a , s e d i o l i p s . P (
half-mummified
the
e s o n one
g o h outside
d n a ) s e m
a n n o m m o c r e h t o t s g n o m a
front of my
accommodation.
s ’ n e l A f o e n o y b d e r b So l l a it ) . p p s n o d o r e t e H ( s e k a n s
was a welcome
change
to
finally
see
s g o r f d e n r o h f o s h p r o m s u o i r a v h t i w g n o l a , s d n e i r f
on that was ) s alive.
g o r f ’ n As
a m c many
a p ‘ s a people
n w o n k o s l a . p p s s y r h p o t a r e C (
know, I’m - r generally
e p s d a s u l a uninterested
h p e c i x y P ( s g o in
r f l l u B n a c i r f A e m o s d n a
Life in Arid Lands.
A glimpse into semi-arid
western NSW. 16
The Gecko Factories
of Guangzhou.
PLUS Paradox beardies, pied
iguanas and giant bullfrogs. 24
What’s New?
Captive turtle check list.
1.
4
2.
d n a s a l u t n a r a t ( s e t a r b e t r e v n i o s l a e r e w e r e h T . ) s u s
d e z i s - m u i d e m a d n a s g o r f o n i b l a , ) s i t n a m e g r a l a
3
o s l a e r e w e r e h T ‘
33
Ben’s Reptiles 101:
Reptile FAQs – ‘Myth-busters’
Part One. 34
In Print:
Teenage mutant
ninja invaders! 38
A Visit to the Vet:
Reptile Vets: When
should you see one? 42
Healthy herps on the road
and at the clinic: developing
a reptile-specific practice. 44
A Good Book. 47
, s g o r f l l u b n a c i r f A
l a r e v e s d n a , s e t a r b e t r e v n i
t l u d a
’ . s r e d n a m a l a s
r e g i t
- n a m a l a S r e g i T t l u d a l a r e v e s g n i n i a t n o c m u i r a r r e t
e h t a h t d e n i a l p x e n e l A . ) m u n i r g i t a m o t s y b m A ( s r e d
y e h t t a h t t u b , e p o r u E m o r f m e h t d e t r o p m i d a h
e t a m i l c e h t s a u o h z g n a u G n i r a l u p o p y r e v t o n e r e w
n a p s e f i l d e c u d e r n i g n i t l u s e r , m e h t r o f t o h o o t s i
. d e e r b o t y t i l i b a n i n a d n a
e r a s l a m i n a s i H . p u t e s s ’ n e l A t l u a f t o n d l u o c I
m e h t f o e n o y r e v e ; s d r a d n a t s h g i h o t d e n i a t n i a m
t s a v e h t y l s u o i v b o d n a r e t a w n a e l c o t s s e c c a s a h
o s l a s a w I . d e r b e v i t p a c e r a , l l a t o n f i , y t i r o j a m
, e l b a l i a v a s m u i r a r r e t f o e g n a r e h t y b d e s s e r p m i
e h t d n a s m u i r a r r e t s s a l g r e l l a m s e h t y l r a l u c i t r a p
16
. s o k c e G d e t s e r C w e n g n i n n u t s s ’ n e l A f o o w t : e v o
w o h s e d i l s ; o k c e G t n a i G n a i n o d e l a C w e N : ) w o h s e d i l s ( w o l
. p o h s e h t m o r f s e g a m i e r o m s n i a t n
24
38
48
The Alligators of St.
Augustine.
nocturnal vision, and must rely on its
olfactory apparatus
to detect prey.
From humble
roadside
But make no mistake, the giant
monitor
can
hone
in
on a dead or
attraction to dying
leading
centre
animal nearly 9.7km (6 miles)
away
with
its
insanely
keen sense of
for smell.
conservation.
Called ‘buaya darat’ (or land
48
crocodile) by the peoples of the
Lesser Sunda chain of islands in
Indonesia, the Komodo Dragon is
listed as vulnerable by the IUCN,
but wild populations are now
protected in a national park.
56
Nev goes North... again.
Neville Burns heads back
to his old stamping
Next, it’s time to visit the Nile
Crocodiles (Crocodylus
ground around
Cairns. niloticus)
which are on public display in their
Red-eared Sliders are distinguished by a
own eponymous exhibit, ‘Oasis on
unique red stripe on the side of the head.
the Nile’, which just opened this past Image by r.chayanutt .
March. The second-largest living
crocodilian, Nile Crocodiles are
responsible for hundreds of attacks
on humans (and many fatalities)
every year in their native Africa. They have also
Left: keeper Kiersten Wallace hands out another
become one of the latest invasive species to
‘rat snack’.
Postal
Address:
Publisher: John McGrath
colonise south Florida, although there is not
yet
Above top: the albino alligators are kept in a shaded
proof that they are breeding in the wild. The
area
near the
entrance to Victoria,
protect them
from strong
12 Haines
Street
Mitcham,
3132
[email protected]
specimens at St. Augustine arrived safely secured
light.
Advertising
Enquiries:
IT & Marketing: Andy Round
in the cargo hold of a regular Delta passenger
flight Above:
adult American Alligators comprise six to
after crossing the Atlantic. In spite of being [email protected]
diverted eight hundred pounds of pure muscle, with one third
[email protected]
to Atlanta during their journey, thanks to Hurricane
of the body weight concentrated in the formidable
[email protected]
Irma, John Brueggan, director of the Alligator
Farm, tail. Images courtesy Vickie Lillo.
Social Media: Vince Pintaudi
Additional Design:
Rachael Hammond
Next Issue: January 2018.
Website: www.iherpaustralia.com.au
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/iherpaustralia/
On the cover: Galapagos Land Iguana
(Conolophus subcristatus). This species is the
sole agent of seed dispersal for at least four
endemic species of plants and appears to be
important in revegetating areas denuded by
volcanic activity. See article on page 4. Image
by buteo
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