In 1998, I volunteered to participate in
an ongoing field study of the Australian shingleback skink (Tiliqua
rugosa) at the Winters field station, about 150 km NE of
Adelaide, South Australia. I spent about 2.5 months radio
tracking these skinks, which are one of the few reptiles known to
have mate-pair fidelity (one "couple" has mated for 14 years).
The field station had no running water or electricity, and it was
built about a century ago. Numerous cracks and crevices in the
foundation allowed many creatures to enter at will- some more
welcome than others.
This snake, about six feet long, is
Pseudonaja textilis, commonly known as the Australian brown
snake. The venom of this species is considered to be
among the most deadly in the world. This was the most common
species of snake in the area, and this individual was observed
nosing around the front entrance of the house.
Not all of the species near the house were
so nasty. One weekend when everyone else was away, I
photographed these two
Varanus gouldii fighting over territory just 50 feet from the
house. They put on a good show for over an hour, and even
allowed me to crawl within 5 feet to take this picture.
This spider is in the genus Latrodectus,
which includes the black-widow spiders of North America.
Commonly known as the red-backed spider in Australia, this species
can cause extremely painful and sometimes deadly bites. This
spider was common under rubbish piles and old tires around the field
site, but I did have the good fortune to notice a large female crawl
into a drying pair of jeans (in the house) before I put them on.
Another territorial fight among males
actually occurred IN the house. These
Gehyra variegata were locked in battle in the rafters of the
ceiling when they suddenly fell to the ground next to my bed as I
was reading. They didn't seem to mind when I picked them up,
carried them outside, and took this picture.
Here are a couple pictures of
Tiliqua rugosa. The individual on the left is a
juvenile. The mating pair on the right includes adults
that typically exceeded a foot in length.
Here are a couple other
species that were observed at the field site. On
the left is a blue-tongued skink (Tiliqua occipitalis). The bearded
dragon (Pogona vitticeps) on the right is a
juvenile on one of the ubiquitous blue bushes.
Although emu were easily
startled, it was not uncommon to see flocks of them
from time to time.
Kangaroo were very
common, but they invariably fled when one
ventured closer than about 100 feet. I was
able to photograph this individual from close
range because it had succumbed to an illness
that causes blindness.