Reptiles Outback Australia Aug2011

The photos in this post were taken in a few different places. The lizard above is a Central Bearded Dragon, taken at Innaimcka which is in the NE corner of SA. The very black chin or beard area shows that this is a fully mature lizard.

Central Bearded Dragon, Innamincka SA.

I found this goanna near the Cooper Creek at Innamincka as well. It is a Sand Goanna. Identifying feature of this goanna is the yellow tip on its tail. The next two photos are of the same species.

The next few photos are of an Olive python just after it has had a feed. This was a very long and thick bodied snake. They are common in tropical wetlands of Australia. This snake was near Mt Isa in Qld, in a flooded area.

The bulge is its last meal, it looked about the size of a rabbit.

It left to swim in the water as the temperature began to soar.

Esturine Crocodile, Corroboree Billabong. These crocs are maneaters, given the chance. (also called saltwater crocs - or saltys, and they are found in the sea,  but this is a misnomer as they are equally happy and common in freshwater).   Full grown ones are huge. Mature males can be 6m in lenght and wiegh a thousand pounds or over 400kg. They have over 60 teeth and unlike us as they lose one, another one grows! They dont chew their food, the teeth are for grabing and tearing. Their teeth are conical shaped. The skin on their back has bony plates in it and is aparantly almost impossible to pierce.

The next shots are of  freshwater crocs, which aren't considered particularly dangerous to people. The difference between the two that is readily visible is that the freshwater crocs have a much narrower snout. Im pretty sure that the folowing pictures are freshwater crocodiles. These photos were taken at a waterhole called Corroborre Billabong, situated on the boundry of Kakadu NP, NT. All of these crocodile pictures were taken from the safety of a boat.

This a dragon lizard, a common species in the NT. They can run very fast if startled. They also have a habit that is fun to watch. They wave with one of their front legs, it has a nickname of the tata lizard. This one was at Nitmiluk NP, near Katherine,NT. The common name for this dragon is Gilbert's Dragon.

The dragon below was taken at Lorella Springs, NT. on a dry rocky stream bed. It had very pretty markings. It is a Ring-tailed Dragon.

The next shot is a pair of mature Gilbert's Dragons fighting. It was very quick and it was a bit like wrestling in that once the winner had pinned the shoulders of its rival to the ground, it was all over. It released the loser which ran away as soon as it was able.

These photos are of a Merten's Water Monitor. While some of the other monitor lizard numbers are declining due to eating the poisonous cane toads, water monitors seem to not have included them in their diets. It has been suggested that it is because they hunt in water and feed on the frogs, insects and crustaceans they find instead.