# North....



## Nephrurus (May 6, 2010)

Ahoi all, 

Recently I spent a few days with some friends in Darwin and I ticked off a few species I'd been dying to see for ages. 

I'd been up through darwin a few times but never herped there that with any effort. 

This time, in a slightly better season I was sure to find much much more. 

And I did.

http://www.pbase.com/nephrurus/image/124262217

http://www.pbase.com/nephrurus/image/124262208

http://www.pbase.com/nephrurus/rearfanged_snakes__colubridae


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## Serpentess (May 6, 2010)

You must have a great macro on your camera. Gorgeous find.


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## beautifulpythons (May 6, 2010)

Awesome Henry.. You NEVER see pics of Cerberus, or any of the mangrove snakes, awesome finds, and great photos!

Im heading there in November, any tips on the best spots??!


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## omg_a_gecko (May 6, 2010)

*knp*

you've found some beaut animals there, great pics too - especially like the feeding shot!


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## Nephrurus (May 7, 2010)

I would have thought late dry would be the worst time. Maybe it'll be ok if it rains. 

There are plenty of mangrove snakes in the mangroves. You just have to clomp around in the mud til you find them. Fordonia and Myron sit up on the exposed mangroves whilst Bockadams sit on the waters edge. We saw one salt water crocodile whilst traipsing about the mangroves, so be careful. Also, if you fall over and drop your camera it is permanently broken.


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## beautifulpythons (May 7, 2010)

lol.. I was orginally going to go in September/October but got told it was way better to go in November!?!

Stewart MacDonald said he went in Nov and it was amazing which is why I pushed it back lol..


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## beautifulpythons (May 7, 2010)

I think I have gotten about 10 differing opinions on best time to go, and best time to see stuff.. Every website has a different idea, and some people say one month and others another! Too confusing.. Im sure there will be plenty about in Nov anyways..


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## saratoga (May 8, 2010)

Great shots...really enjoyed checking out your galleries on pbase!


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## moloch05 (May 8, 2010)

Henry,

Wonderful finds! They are species that I want to see and photograph someday.

Your photos just get better and better! They are something to aspire to.

Regards,
David


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## Nephrurus (May 8, 2010)

Thanks David, I've worked pretty hard on them and risked dropping my camera gear into various nasty places (mangrove mud for instance). I'm not sure this is something to aspire to, developing an obsession that absorbs alot of time and money. Well, I can't complain though, although I don't have a social life anymore...


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## smacdonald (May 10, 2010)

Nephrurus said:


> I don't have a social life anymore...


 
Like you had one in the first place...

I went up there in November and timed it perfectly to coincide with the start of the wet season. If you go up there in November and miss the rains, it'll probably be quite quiet.


Stewart


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## Nephrurus (May 10, 2010)

Yeah, if you miss the start of the wet season I can imagine it would be a fairly depressing time up there. 


-H


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## jordo (May 10, 2010)

Not bad  thanks for sharing.


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## Nephrurus (May 10, 2010)

I put some more photos up as well. 

We headed south for the day and managed to get onto a couple of species I'd never seen. 

Varanus primordius was our first target and within about 3 minutes of getting to the location we'd found our first one, and ended up finding 6 or so. 
I think these guys look alot like V. storri ochreatus... apparently the bite is much the same... Very painful (so I'm told). 

V. primordius Photo Gallery by Henry Cook at pbase.com


We checked a couple more sites for these guys, hoping to snag a Varanus baritji, a beautiful species from the top end but came up with nothing. As the heat of the day was approaching we stopped at a hill to try and get hold of some Ctenotus decanurus, but I only found one but couldn't catch it for a photo. Not really a tick, just a black and white striped blur. 

Searching around I found a Delma borea getting around during the day, not a new tick but a nice find. 

D. borea Photo Gallery by Henry Cook at pbase.com


We checked one more site, hoping to find some ghost bats (we did find Taphozous though! check the bat gallery!) and on the way out I spied a goanna from the moving car. We managed to get some photos of one of the target species, the beautiful baritji!

V. baritji Photo Gallery by Henry Cook at pbase.com


I'm in the Kimberley now. More photos later on (more willb e uploaded tonight). 

-H


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## beautifulpythons (May 10, 2010)

Gee life's tough hey mate!? lol..

Great finds.. Ill have to message you soon to find out all these spots your finding things, beautiful photos as well.


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## H.bitorquatus (May 10, 2010)

*You have the life!* 

Nice shots, I love the delma!


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## Nephrurus (May 16, 2010)

Just got back from a couple of weeks in the field in the Kimberley. Got a few new species for the photosite that will go up soon. 

-H


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## Nephrurus (Jun 2, 2010)

Some more photos from up North, this time the North Kimberley where I've been for the last 4 and a bit weeks. 

Something that caused a bit of debate was the Pygmy King Brown _Pseudechis weigeli_. We've found 6 specimens so far and appear to be far more common up here than the regular mulga (P. australis). We did get a massive regular mulga in a funnel trap, it was 157cms SVL, making it about 170cm long. A big powerful snake- scary. I don't have photos up of that animal, but I do have some pics of a mulga that was run over by someone on the station. Freshly killed, it doesn't look too dead in the photos. 

P. weigeli Photo Gallery by Henry Cook at pbase.com

P. australis Photo Gallery by Henry Cook at pbase.com

We've been getting a few really cool frogs because of the record rainfall up here. i've never seen the Kimberley Spadefoot _Notaden weigeli_ before and it didn't disappoint. Cracking animal, probably as cool as _N. bennetti_. Their cute little downturned mouths are perfect for eating ants, which is exactly how I captured a photo of one with it's tongue out- it took about 25minutes of lying on the sandstone, waiting for it to gulp down an ant. 

Notaden sp. Photo Gallery by Henry Cook at pbase.com


We've been getting quite a few _Nephrurus sheai_ about the rock outcrops and amongst the woodlands. They are a really neat species and the juveniles are particularly cute. I haven't managed to provoke a hissing and lunging defence response from them yet, but I don't want to harass them too much. It's remarkable how adept the juveniles are at crawling up and along vertical rock faces. I suspect _amyae_ probably do the same thing. 

N. shaei Photo Gallery by Henry Cook at pbase.com


We have a brand new species up here. _Ctenotus halysis_ was collected at one of our sites and described as a new species (in the last year or two) by Paul Horner. They were originally lumped in with _Ctenotus allacer_, an arid adapted species from around Alice Springs. 

C. halysis Photo Gallery by Henry Cook at pbase.com

I have a heap more photos to add to my site, which I'll do soon. I've got some more colubrids and skinks and geckos and bird and and and etc etc etc.


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## waruikazi (Jun 2, 2010)

That dark/spotty weiglii is interesting. WHat is the toad situation like in the kimberly now?


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## Nephrurus (Jun 2, 2010)

None up here yet. They are past Kununnurra apparently. 

-H


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