For my first post on Field Herp Forum, I thought I'd share some finds from one of (in my opinion) the best places to herp in Australia, the Brigalow-belt region in Queensland. I have visited the region a couple of times in the past year and these are some of the species we have seen on the trips -
Pale-headed Snake (Hoplocephalus bitorquatus). We were stoked to find our main target for the area active on a 17 degree night, something none of us expected.
Dwyers Snake (Parasuta dwyeri). A small elapid that was a first for everyone on the trip!
Brigalow Scaly-foot (Paradelma orientalis). A rather uncommon Brigalow endemic. Two were found on this particular night.
Box Patterned Gecko (Lucasium steindachneri). A very common species in the area.
Lace Monitor (Varanus varius). Bells Phase. On one particular morning in the Brigalow, we would've seen close to 20 of these lizards on/near the road with a mix between both bells and normal forms
Spotted Python (Antaresia maculosa). Two of these snakes were found sheltering under the same piece of tin.
Yellow Spotted Monitor (Varanus panoptes). They have always been to quick for me to get photos in the past but I got to snap a few shots of this one when it ran up a tree.
Tree Skink (Egernia striolata). Took me way to long to actually photograph one of these awesome skinks!
Curl Snake (Suta suta). Although very common through central Australia, it wasn't until my 6th time herping their range that I found one!
Eastern Bearded Dragon (Pogona barbata). I can never get tired of finding Bearded Dragons!
Keelback (Tropidonophis mairii). An unexpected find while walking around a dried up dam at night, and then we found another.
Spotted Black Snake (Pseudechis guttatus). One of the more common large elapids in the area. Still yet to find an actual spotted one though.
New Holland Frog (Cyclorana novaehollandiae). A large species of frog that can look similar to Cane Toads to the untrained eye, which was another species we found nearby.
Tessellated Gecko (Diplodactylus tessellatus). A terrestrial species that won't move more then 100 metres of their birth site their entire life!
Robust Blind Snake (Ramphotyphlops ligatus). This is one of the only times a Blind Snake has sit still enough for me to take a photo.
Barking Frog (Limnodynastes fletcheri). This lone frog was found sitting in the mud near an almost completely dried up pond in a major drought.
A beautiful young Mulga Snake (Pseudechis australis) from our first trip to the Brigalow. This was the highlight of the trip and I haven't seen one since so I'm very keen to get back out there and get some better pics of one!
Burns' Dragon (Amphibolorus burnsi). A very fast and alert dragon that is usually quite difficult to sneak up on.
Hope you enjoyed the first of (hopefully) many posts to come!
Herping the Brigalow-belt, QLD
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- Jesses Wildlife
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- Joined: February 6th, 2016, 11:31 pm
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Herping the Brigalow-belt, QLD
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Re: Herping the Brigalow-belt, QLD
Thanks for posting. I always love seeing Australia posts. I am hoping to get there in the next couple of years.
- Jesses Wildlife
- Posts: 2
- Joined: February 6th, 2016, 11:31 pm
- Contact:
Re: Herping the Brigalow-belt, QLD
let me know when you're here and we can go for a herp!
Thanks from Pacific NW USA
I can't tell you how much I enjoy posts like this.
I've been fortunate to have lived in 8 states in the USA, and I've seen Canada & Mexico briefly. However, since 1990, I've mostly been in a region that is often overcast & gloomy, with cool temperatures. You can count the number of reptile species seen around here on one hand.
At times, I got away to arid & desert regions where the landscape is more exposed & apparent, and the skies more sunny & clear. In June 2006, at Cabo San Lucas, I experienced a rare moment when a sea turtle came ashore at night to lay her eggs on a beach. What has saved my Herper soul has been infrequent excursions into Nevada, eastern Oregon and Washington, including the little-known Alvord Desert. A tiny spot in the SE corner of Oregon, it has Mojave Desert-like conditions, and reptile species usually found much farther south.
I've researched Australia & surrounding regions often, along with viewing travel documentaries - including one where two young men crossed the continent herping, with a detailed video log. I'm very familiar with many of your reptile species, and I've previously kept Spotted Pythons.
I wont' be lucky enough to be joining you two in Australia soon, but I can wish you the best and look forward to future posts where you were able to collaborate.
Shine on - Explorers & Discoverers!!
I've been fortunate to have lived in 8 states in the USA, and I've seen Canada & Mexico briefly. However, since 1990, I've mostly been in a region that is often overcast & gloomy, with cool temperatures. You can count the number of reptile species seen around here on one hand.
At times, I got away to arid & desert regions where the landscape is more exposed & apparent, and the skies more sunny & clear. In June 2006, at Cabo San Lucas, I experienced a rare moment when a sea turtle came ashore at night to lay her eggs on a beach. What has saved my Herper soul has been infrequent excursions into Nevada, eastern Oregon and Washington, including the little-known Alvord Desert. A tiny spot in the SE corner of Oregon, it has Mojave Desert-like conditions, and reptile species usually found much farther south.
I've researched Australia & surrounding regions often, along with viewing travel documentaries - including one where two young men crossed the continent herping, with a detailed video log. I'm very familiar with many of your reptile species, and I've previously kept Spotted Pythons.
I wont' be lucky enough to be joining you two in Australia soon, but I can wish you the best and look forward to future posts where you were able to collaborate.
Shine on - Explorers & Discoverers!!