moloch
New member
Back in late Aug and early Sep, my wife and I headed up to the warmth of far north Queensland for a couple of weeks. The temperatures were pleasant but we had more rain that I would have liked. It was warm enough for a number of reptiles to be active. Among these were Northern Leaf-tailed Geckos (Saltuarius cornutus) in the Atherton Tablelands and Nactus cheverti at Mission Beach.
Northern Leaf-tailed Geckos lived in the upland forests of the Atherton Tablelands. I saw them in rainforests such as these:
The geckos were active even though the nights were wet and cold. Sometimes, they were seen quite high on the trunks of trees:
Most, however, were seen within a couple of meters of the base of the trees.
... regen'ed tail
... a few other upland animals:
Prickly Skinks:
Long-nosed Bandicoot:
Here is a view of the coastal habitat at Mission Beach where I found the Nactus. They often were under driftwood or rocks along the beach.
Nactus chevreti:
... and a few other animals from Mission Beach:
Northern Brown Bandicoot:
Mission Beach is one of the easiest places in Australia to see the Cassowaries. I found them a number of times, particularly on our morning walks up Bicton Hill.
Cassowary habitat:
... I saw a father and his young a couple of times. In the Cassowary world, females lay the eggs and then leave the work of incubation and raising the brood with the males.
Although they are big birds, they disappear easily when they move a meter or two off the trail.
Regards,
David
Northern Leaf-tailed Geckos lived in the upland forests of the Atherton Tablelands. I saw them in rainforests such as these:
The geckos were active even though the nights were wet and cold. Sometimes, they were seen quite high on the trunks of trees:
Most, however, were seen within a couple of meters of the base of the trees.
... regen'ed tail
... a few other upland animals:
Prickly Skinks:
Long-nosed Bandicoot:
Here is a view of the coastal habitat at Mission Beach where I found the Nactus. They often were under driftwood or rocks along the beach.
Nactus chevreti:
... and a few other animals from Mission Beach:
Northern Brown Bandicoot:
Mission Beach is one of the easiest places in Australia to see the Cassowaries. I found them a number of times, particularly on our morning walks up Bicton Hill.
Cassowary habitat:
... I saw a father and his young a couple of times. In the Cassowary world, females lay the eggs and then leave the work of incubation and raising the brood with the males.
Although they are big birds, they disappear easily when they move a meter or two off the trail.
Regards,
David
