moloch
New member
After Kalbarri, Ted and I headed into the interior of the state. We drove south from Kalbarri to Geraldton, turned east and then headed into an area known as the "Northern Goldfields".
We spent three days in this region and visited sites between Mt. Magnet, Meekatharra, Wiluna, Leonora and Laverton. This region is rich with minerals and we passed nickel, cobalt, manganese, vanadium and of course, gold mines operated by BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto.
Most of the northern goldfields was sparsely populated. While driving, we often saw little sign of civilization for hours at a time. Some of the little mining towns such as Leinster were about as nice as possible in this hot and dry land. Other towns such as Wiluna were dusty little outposts on the edge of the wilderness. The paved road ended at Wiluna and dirt tracks continued for another 1600kms into heart of the continent.
The habitat varied considerably throughout this region. Granite outcrops were common in some areas.
Other areas had rock outcrops on what appeared to be a limestone soil.
Some areas were sandy. We passed an area with this strange plant while driving between Leinster and Wiluna. It was really odd. We thought from the road that it might be a euphorb but it was not.
Dry salt lakes and clay pans were frequent.
We passed through areas where the surface of the ground was covered with small, polished rocks. These resembled the gibber flats of western Queensland but the plantlife was more prolific.
The most productive habitat for both diurnal and nocturnal reptiles was red sand that was covered with spinifex. These sites were always worth a visit. Strophurus elderi would no doubt live here but we did not spend much time looking for these hard-to-spot geckos.
Here was Ted at one of our typical campsites along a quiet road in this region.
We found a variety of geckos in the above habitats although we did miss a few that we had hoped to find such as Nephrurus wheeleri. Gecko numbers were low compared to some of the rich coastal areas such as Shark Bay. Here are examples of what we encountered. I will include more photos in subsequent posts.
I think that this is a baby Marbled Gecko (Christinus marmoratus). Please correct me if my identifications are wrong. This little gecko was found in an area of granite boulders.
EDIT: I just looked at the Western Australian Museum website and now think my identification must be wrong. C. marmoratus would be several hundred kilometers out-of-range in this area near Leinster. I think that the gecko must have been one of the highly variable Clawless Geckos (Crenadactylus ocellatus). Does anyone know these geckos?
Fat-tailed Geckos (Diplodactylus conspicillatus) were the most common gecko but only in areas of red sand. One of these was coloured more richly than the others and was the nicest fat-tail that I have ever seen.
We saw Beautiful Geckos (Diplodactylus pulcher) a couple of times. Klug's Geckos do not live in the interior so there was no chance of confusing the identification.
I think that this is a Diplodactylus squarrosus. We saw this species on two occasions.
We found this Gehyra near Laverton. Both G. variegata and G. purpurescens live in this area and I am not certain of the identification. I think that it is probably a G. variegata but cannot be sure. Any ideas?
This Marbled Velvet Gecko (Oedura marmorata) was found in an area of granite boulders.
We found a Western Spiny-tailed Geckos (Strophurus strophurus). Its markings seemd a little odd with the enlarged tuburcles down the back and onto the tail.
I will need to check with the Western Australian Museum but I think that this baby Thick-tailed Gecko (Underwoodisaurus milii) near Cue may have been out of its known range. Is it normal for the babies to have a white face?
This Western Hooded Scaly-Foot (Pygopus nigreceps) was the most colourful individual that I have ever seen.
A surprise find at night was the Central Netted Dragon (Ctenophorus nuchalis). When we stopped to examine it, we wondered what sort of "gecko" it could be since it could run so fast.
During the day, we saw these beautiful Central Military Dragons (Ctenophorus isolepis gularis) in an area of red sand and spinifex. Both photos are of an adult male.
We spent three days in this region and visited sites between Mt. Magnet, Meekatharra, Wiluna, Leonora and Laverton. This region is rich with minerals and we passed nickel, cobalt, manganese, vanadium and of course, gold mines operated by BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto.
Most of the northern goldfields was sparsely populated. While driving, we often saw little sign of civilization for hours at a time. Some of the little mining towns such as Leinster were about as nice as possible in this hot and dry land. Other towns such as Wiluna were dusty little outposts on the edge of the wilderness. The paved road ended at Wiluna and dirt tracks continued for another 1600kms into heart of the continent.
The habitat varied considerably throughout this region. Granite outcrops were common in some areas.
Other areas had rock outcrops on what appeared to be a limestone soil.
Some areas were sandy. We passed an area with this strange plant while driving between Leinster and Wiluna. It was really odd. We thought from the road that it might be a euphorb but it was not.
Dry salt lakes and clay pans were frequent.
We passed through areas where the surface of the ground was covered with small, polished rocks. These resembled the gibber flats of western Queensland but the plantlife was more prolific.
The most productive habitat for both diurnal and nocturnal reptiles was red sand that was covered with spinifex. These sites were always worth a visit. Strophurus elderi would no doubt live here but we did not spend much time looking for these hard-to-spot geckos.
Here was Ted at one of our typical campsites along a quiet road in this region.
We found a variety of geckos in the above habitats although we did miss a few that we had hoped to find such as Nephrurus wheeleri. Gecko numbers were low compared to some of the rich coastal areas such as Shark Bay. Here are examples of what we encountered. I will include more photos in subsequent posts.
I think that this is a baby Marbled Gecko (Christinus marmoratus). Please correct me if my identifications are wrong. This little gecko was found in an area of granite boulders.
EDIT: I just looked at the Western Australian Museum website and now think my identification must be wrong. C. marmoratus would be several hundred kilometers out-of-range in this area near Leinster. I think that the gecko must have been one of the highly variable Clawless Geckos (Crenadactylus ocellatus). Does anyone know these geckos?
Fat-tailed Geckos (Diplodactylus conspicillatus) were the most common gecko but only in areas of red sand. One of these was coloured more richly than the others and was the nicest fat-tail that I have ever seen.
We saw Beautiful Geckos (Diplodactylus pulcher) a couple of times. Klug's Geckos do not live in the interior so there was no chance of confusing the identification.
I think that this is a Diplodactylus squarrosus. We saw this species on two occasions.
We found this Gehyra near Laverton. Both G. variegata and G. purpurescens live in this area and I am not certain of the identification. I think that it is probably a G. variegata but cannot be sure. Any ideas?
This Marbled Velvet Gecko (Oedura marmorata) was found in an area of granite boulders.
We found a Western Spiny-tailed Geckos (Strophurus strophurus). Its markings seemd a little odd with the enlarged tuburcles down the back and onto the tail.
I will need to check with the Western Australian Museum but I think that this baby Thick-tailed Gecko (Underwoodisaurus milii) near Cue may have been out of its known range. Is it normal for the babies to have a white face?
This Western Hooded Scaly-Foot (Pygopus nigreceps) was the most colourful individual that I have ever seen.
A surprise find at night was the Central Netted Dragon (Ctenophorus nuchalis). When we stopped to examine it, we wondered what sort of "gecko" it could be since it could run so fast.
During the day, we saw these beautiful Central Military Dragons (Ctenophorus isolepis gularis) in an area of red sand and spinifex. Both photos are of an adult male.
