Reptiles on 16:6

REPTILES

There are many reptile species found across 16:6  and to date, we have identified ( seen or captured on camera) 20 of them

Looking online the Murraylands and Riverland landscape board lists many more species. However, most of these are found in less arid areas of the region predominantly along the Murray River and backwaters.

Of these native reptiles two are endangered and five vulnerable.  

The next paragraphs will provide images and a few details on the 20 reptiles that we have found on site thus far.

GECKOS

The Thick Tailed - Barking Gecko

The Barking Gecko (Aka Thick tailed Gecko) -  Underwoodisaurus milii

Along with the Bearded Dragon and shingle-back lizard, these larger Geckos were the reptiles that I kept as a child. A small animal with a huge personality, their ability to stand on their toes arch their back and make a noise akin to a bark makes them the fox terriers of the gecko world.

They eat insects and smaller vertebrates ie small mice's pinkies and other lizards.

It is the largest of the geckos that we find on the heritage agreements, although only seen to date on Section 13 and 249. The Barking Gecko seems to tolerate cooler temperatures than many other geckos as we have found it out and about on cooler mornings when other nocturnal reptiles seem to have returned to their burrows or rocks

The Tree Dtella 

The Tree Dtella  - Gehyra variegata .

Similar in pattern and colouration to the Marbled Gecko, (Maybe even more varied) however the ones we have found on 16:6 tend towards Grey whereas marbled geckos here often have warmer browns and even oranges. The Tree Dtella has a more compressed or flattened body and to me a softer appearance and has been found while working primarily while deconstructing an old dump site, removing stacked timber and under tree bark. Always associated with narrow spaces where they seem to flatten their bodies.

We have only observed adults on 16:6 and their overall length has been similar to the marbled gecko.

A real difference is the toes of the two with the Marbled gecko having a distinct claw and the Dtella more of a split pad with a smaller claw in between.

The Marbled Gecko  

The Marbled Gecko – Christinus marmortus

A common marbled-coloured gecko found across a lot of the southern parts of mainland Australia.  This is the gecko most of us find in our homes and gardens as they seem to thrive around urban areas.  Living in crevices and under rocks during the colder times of the year. Currently, at Mount Barke,r we have a line of bricks with one large adult female sleeping inside one of the brick holes and the next hole seems to be a shared nest with eight to ten eggs ( some hatching in early November)

This gecko has a snout vent of about 2 inches – and a longer tail which is used for fat storage.

They are insectivores and nocturnal. You may see these geckos on our walls at night especially if an outside light attracts moths.  The one in this image was on a cement area after dark near a solar light at the 16:6 campsite.

These geckos are good climbers and have distinct claws on their toes

This gecko is often confused with the other gecko we commonly find often called the Gehyra.

The Bynoe Gecko - Heteronotia binoei

 

The Bynoe Gecko – Heteronotia binoea

We have found a number of Bynoe’s across 16:6 and Section 13, like the Dtella generally we have found these whilst clearing roadsides from old scrap iron or in disturbed places such as a rubbish dump. They generally live in rocks and crevices however in this limestone country perhaps old cans, car doors and weathered furniture are sheer,’ luxury.’

They are primarily nocturnal but have been noted to be active something in the day and the most interesting fact about these critters is that in some areas scientific studies have found that the population is only female, and they can breed basically by cloning themselves. (parthenogenesis)

SKINKS AND SIMILIAR

The Broad Banded Sand Swimmer 

The Broad Banded Sand Swimmer – Eremiascincus richarsonii

These gorgeous critters are found throughout arid regions from the Simpson desert in SA and down through the Mallee.  We have not found any of these whilst walking around 16:6 or working ( fencing and moving stones etc) as they are nocturnal and only move about at night.  The ones we have identified have all been caught on camera when wildlife cameras have been set up to watch insect and small animal movement in and around wombat warrens.

The Broad Banded Sand Swimmer eats insects ( moths and hoppers) spiders and even other smaller Lizards  (its snout to vent – that is body not including its tail) is about 3 inches so a reasonable enough size to tackle even large spiders.

SMALLER SKINKS  

 Snake eyed snake - Morethia Obscura

Malle snake-eyed skink- Morethia obscura

There are a range of similar small terrestrial Morethia’s all around Australia ,however, this little one was found on Section 13 Sleeper Track. They are often hard to take photographs of as they are very fast. For good information and better images see the Ellura web site ( our neighbouring property) www.ellura.info

The snake eyed skink has relatively small legs in comparison to their bodies and no distinct neck. They are generally uniform brown colour with a clear lateral stripe. The Mallee version is identified by two plates (dorsal scales) covering the neck (nuchals)

This species seems to be primarily insectivores. There is distinct males and females and the female 3-5 eggs in October to November.

We have observed these skinks at the campsite on Section 249, and in a heavily wooded area on 215.They would be present on all of the sections forming 16:6 however, we need to allocate time, go slowly and take more observations.

 has been found on all sections of land across 16:6 and Section 13.

 Dwarf Skink -Menitia greyii 

 Dwarf Skink -Menitia greyii 

Known as the common dwarf skink or Greys skink it is a tiny insect eating skink which is amazingly fast when fully solar powered. It is common and widespread across Australia. These zippy critters have been seen across Sec 13, 215 and 249 and 226 especially in the areas where there is dense leaf litter.

Some document refer to all female (parthenogenic) populations exist. This is a common species that need a-lot more work done on it.

Three Toed Earless Skink - Hemiergis decresiensis 

Three toes earless skink – Hemiergis decresiensis

A common skink across South Australia from the Adelaide plains, the Rangers to the Murraylands. Often found under rocks and heavy timber as it is a burrowing skink with a long body, small, short stout legs and three toes. It appears admirably adapted to almost swim through the sand. With no visible ear opening and a clear lower eye lid that can close and protect their eyes they me been mistaken as baby snakes by some.

They are not as fast moving as other small skinks so likely the skinks that Kids capture and bring into the house (OK Memories) Also a faviourite for Cats!!!! So, lock the kids and cats up during the day).

These smaller skinks are a dark brown with clear stripes and a distinct orange to apricot coloured belly. These guys lay eggs which hatch very quickly, usually in a few days.

The Ctenotus - Striped Skinks

The genus Ctenotus, a large of group of skinks that are small to medium sized (10–30 cm in length) with long and slender tails. They are terrestrial, diurnal, egg laying and their diet consists of invertebrates such as wasps, spiders and beetles..

On 16:6 and Sect 13 we have three different Ctenotus skinks which can be identified by their unique different morphological features. Two of them are captured here;

The Southern Mallee Ctenotus  - Ctenotus atlas

The Southern Mallee Ctenotus is a medium sized lizard in the skink family found in the central and southern interior regions of South Australia. This beautifully marked lined skink lives in or around spinifex which it uses to shelter and climb. They are more likely to be found within or on such grasses in open areas as opposed to under trees. Interestingly our observations of this skink have been caught  on wildlife cameras in open sandy areas surrounded by Triodia where they are reasonably easy to find hunting insects and in one case eating a carelessly discarded muesli bar?

The Eastern Striped Skink – Ctenotus orientalis 

The Eastern Striped Skink – Ctenotus orientalis ( also called Eastern spotted Ctenotus)  This slightly smaller striped and spotted skink is similar to the atlas in details and diet however across 16:6 and Section 13 we have found these very fast skinks associated with mallee areas, limestone, heavy leaf litter and areas of biophilic crust.

Images of the striped skinks have been taken from online resources as the  images we have from cameras are not of suitable quality to be used in this post

 

VARANIDS - GOANNAS

Varanids are a group of lizards in the superfamily Varanoidea – often referred to as Monitors or Goannas. Generally, Varanids are carnivores, although some also eat fruit.

 

 

The Sand Goanna or Gould's monitor 

The Sandy, Sand Goanna or Gould's monitor is a terrestrial reptile that excavates a burrow for shelter or may be found in our area in tree hollows. It inhabits a vast range throughout Australia generally associated with sandy areas, reaching an average length of 140 cm (4.6 ft) and weighing as much as 6 kg.

On 16:6, Sections 249, 215 and Section 13 we have seen a few Sand Goannas, generally near sandy burrows or on section 13 in and around Wombat Warrens. We have also found that one lives in and around the shed and has been found inside the shed on a couple of occasions.

This monitor is a relentless seeker of food, out during the day actively hunting anything smaller than itself . While the diets of hatchlings often consist mostly of insects, smaller lizards as they get older these monitors will eat mice, rodents, smaller birds and their eggs, scorpions, large insects and carrion.

SNAKES

Eastern Brown Snake - Pseudonaja textilis

The Eastern Brown Snake 

A well-known snake often called the common brown snake, is a species of very venomous snake in the family Elapidae. It is found across many different environments and habitats across South Australia.

We have poor quality images from wildlife cameras and have seen then disappearing into shrubs or timbered areas across 16:6 and section 13.  Not surprisingly we have not followed them up for close photograph! This image has been supplied by Field Naturalist and Friend, David Armstrong who took it at Alligator Gorge in the Flinders Rangers in 2014.

The Eastern Brown Snake has a slender body, with a short, rounded head, indistinct from the neck. The brown can come in many colours, from greys, to all tones of brown through to almost black, as well some (especially juveniles) can have banding or even flecking and pattens.

The average length of an adult Eastern Brown Snake is about 1.5 metres (4.9 ft)

Eastern Brown Snakes eat small vertebrates, mainly mammals, frogs, birds and reptiles such as skinks and geckoes, as well as other snakes. They seem to thrive on introduced rodents Rats and mice which we have plenty of across the heritage agreement

Bardick -  Echiopsis curta

The Bardick is a near threatened species of small stout snake  which we are very fortunate to have a population in one of the sand and spinifex areas on 16:6..  Yay 16:6 rocks

It is a quite a distinct looking snake with a bulbous head, large eye and a thick body. Its colour varies from brown through to olive and grey even to black and it can grow up to 70 cm long.

They feed on lizards, frogs and small mammals. It is primarily an ambush hunter amd we have found one positioned under the overhang of at triodia watching the small Mallee Military dragons dash around.

Image taken 10.30 a.m December 10th on a warm summers morning.

The Shingleback Lizard, Stumpy Tail

The shingleback Lizard - Tiliqua rugosa

Most  commonly known as the shingleback, stumpy tail, two headed skink or bobtail lizards these uniquely different pinecone patterned blue toungued skinks have many names. Generally, they are browns, and blacks with interspersed whites and yellow scales.  Often called bluetongues as when threatened they open their mouths hiss and flash their large fleshy blue tongue. ( As above this is a mother and offspring found on Section 13)

They appear slow to move but can boogie when they need and are relatively common across all areas of 16:6 and section 13.

The shingleback is an omnivore; it eats snails, insects and flowers as well as other plants and it spends much of its time browsing through vegetation for food. We have photographs of them eating native grape, and flowers from the weed species dandelion and thread iris.

 What’s interesting about these lizards is that they mate every spring with a partner that they stay with for their entire life.  These monogamous long-lived lizards can be together for over 20 years, with the female giving birth to generally two or three live large offspring five months after mating. Again, what is unique is that often the young stay near the parents for some time forming a family group.   

THERE BE - DRAGONS!

The Painted Dragon 

 

The Painted Dragon - Ctenophorus pictus

Found in dryer areas across South Australia the Painted Dragon prefers shrublands and sandy mallee areas. We often see them basking on limestones rocks along mallee tracks. These species belong to the genis Ctenophorus, which comprises a diverse group of 35 species including our smaller lizard the Mallee  dragon.

Their name ‘Painted Dragon’ is well suited with males having different colours morphs, yellows, orange and almost entirely blue male and blends.  The images above are an adult femals and an yellow phase male. The header image to this post is a blue phase male.    As you can see the females and juveniles are still beautifully marked but in far less vibrant, browns, creams and tans. This little fast rock dragon is the peacock of our reptiles on 16:6.

They are very fast, vigilant, and active  during the daytime, yet easy to photograph in the morning as they rely on external heat, and often are initially slow as they sun bake outside of their burrow or as a silhouette on a limestone rock.

The Nobbi Dragon

The Nobbi Dragon - Diporiphora nobbi

The Nobbi Dragon is one of the dragons’ endemics to the Mallee.

We don’t often see these beautiful lizard as although larger than most other dragon on 16:6 reaching a length of 20 cm long from the snout to tail, they seem to be very well camouflaged and quick to bolt when you come close to them. They can even stand on their hind legs and run extremely quickly into fallen timber or up a mallee tree. They are great climbers, and we have only seen them in more heavily timbered areas such as the camp site on section 249 as they dash off, often only noticed when they move and rustle plants in their dash. 

The Nobbi Dragon generally eats insects and small invertebrates which they hunt by waiting in an ambush, then lashing out grabbing their prey with their mouths at speed like everything else that they do.

Eastern Bearded Dragon

The Eastern Bearded Dragon (Beardie ) – Pogona barbata

Found through the open woodlands of our area , we have seen the bearded dragon on roadsides, in the cleared mallee and in the heavily wooded areas. Whilst not as common as other dragons on 16:6 we have seen them on all sections other than 227 (the primary sand and spinifex allotment)

Beardies are active during the day and generally we find them in high places, such as perched on fence posts or watching us from a tree branch.