moloch05
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At last, here is my final installment of the photo guide to Aussie lizards. Work was all consuming for awhile but things are settling again.
This post will cover the dragons and monitors.
Burn's Dragon (Amphibolurus burnsi) -- the first photo is of a lizard near Hughenden, Qld. I think that this would be at the northern distributional limit of the species. The second photo was of an animal near Goondiwindi and the third was from the Cunnamulla area of southwestern Qld.
Gilbert's Dragon (Amphibolurus gilberti) -- these photos are all from 80-Mile Beach along the road to Broome. The dragons were common and tame in a caravan park where I camped.
Long-nosed Dragon (Amphibolurus longirostre) -- these elegant dragons are common at Kalbarri and the North West Cape.
Jacky Lizard (Amphibolurus muricatus) -- the common dragon in eastern Australia. Males are flushed with black during the breeding season.
Nobbi Dragon (Amphibolurus nobbi) -- common in drier eucalyptus forest. In the breeding season, the males develop patches of pastel pinks and yellows.
Amphibolurus gilberti or A. temporalis -- I photographed this lizard near Georgetown on the Cape York Peninsula. This is roughly in the area where either A. gilberti or A. temporalis may be found and I am not certain of the identity. When I enlarged the photo and examined the keels of the scales on the back, they seem to be angled towards the midline which would be indicative of A. temporalis but the photo angle was not what I would like to be certain.
Ring-tailed Dragon (Ctenophorus caudicinctus) -- a widespread and variable dragon of northern Australia. I have photos here of animals from different areas, hence, the different colours and patterns.
Crested Dragon (Ctenophorus cristatus) -- a beautiful dragon that I saw for the first time this past summer on the Eyre Peninsula of South Australia. These large dragons bipedal when zipping away.
Tawny Rock Dragon (Ctenophorus decresii) -- I have only seen these nice dragons at Mutawintji in NSW.
Long-tailed Sand Dragon (Ctenophorus femoralis) -- this dragon is restricted to the loose, red dunes of the North West Cape area of WA.
Peninsular Rock Dragon (Ctenophorus fionni) -- these dragons were numerous in the Gawler Ranges of the Eyre Peninsula, SA.
Mallee Military Dragon (Ctenophorus fordi) -- common in the mallee south of Broken Hill, NSW.
Central Military Dragon (Ctenophorus isolepis) -- the race of this dragon from the Windorah area of QLD is particularly nice. This is a widespread species found across the dry portions of the continent.
Spotted Military Dragon (Ctenophorus maculatus) -- These photos were of animals from Kalbarri and from Shark Bay. They were common in both areas on coastal dunes or the cliffs above the ocean.
Central Netted Dragon (Ctenophorus nuchalis) -- a widespread species. The head of the male is flushed with orange during the breeding season. These dragons will allow close approach when they are sunning on the road but otherwise they are wary and hard to photograph.
Ornate Rock Dragon (Ctenophorus ornatus) -- I have included photos of the nicely coloured goldfields form as well as those from the coast.
Painted Dragon (Ctenophorus pictus) -- these were from the Lake Gillies area of SA.
Western Netted Dragon (Ctenophorus reticulatus) -- similar to the Central Netted Dragon but the head shape is different. These were on the road near the turnoff to Shark Bay in WA.
Lozenge-marked Dragon (Ctenophorus scutulatus) -- big dragons that bipedal (like Crested Dragons) when running.
Tommy Roundhead (Diporiphora australis) -- these animals were photographed at Mt. Elliott. They all show a gular fold and that is what I am using to distinguish these from the similar D. bilineata.
Two-lined Dragons (Diporiphora bilineata) -- the first two dragons are males in breeding colours. These dragons were common at Chillagoe and inland from Cooktown, QLD.
Canegrass Dragon (Diporiphora winneckei) -- the first 3 photos were of a young lizard on the crest of a dune at Windorah, QLD. The latter 3 photos were of a gravid female that was initially warming itself on the road near North West Cape, WA.
Boyd's Forest Dragon (Hypsilurus boydii) -- a beautiful rainforest dragon that is restricted to a small area in tropics of far north Queensland. These animals were photographed near Daintree.
Angleheaded Dragon (Hypsilurus spinipes) -- the southern counterpart to the Boyd's Forest Dragon. These were photographed on the Lamington Plateau.
Moloch (Moloch horridus) -- my favourite Aussie dragon that is adapted to the central and western deserts.
Eastern Water Dragon (Physignathus lesueurii) -- a common dragon usually near water in eastern Australia. Some live on rocks in marine environments.
Eastern Bearded Dragon (Pogona barbarta) -- common in dry forests in eastern Australia.
Dwarf Bearded Dragon (Pogona minor) -- common in coastal Western Australia.
Central Bearded Dragon (Pogona vitticeps) -- common in central Australia. This year, I observed a male displaying from the top of a dead clump of spinifex on the Eyre Peninsula. The male was flushed yellow and conspicuous from quite a distance. As soon as I stepped out of my car, the dragon dropped a little into the spinifex and changed to a drab grey colour that blended well.
Western Heath Dragon (Rankinia adelaidensis) -- I have Jordan (urodacus_au) to thank for this lizard near Perth, WA.
Mountain Heath Dragon (Rankinia diemensis) -- common in the Blue Mountains. I occasionally see them near Wollongong or out at Dharawal.
Earless Dragon (Tympanocryptis sp) -- Most of these were photographed near Windorah, Qld, where 3 species are possible. I believe that what I have photographed are T. tetraporiphora but I am not certain.
Perentie (Varanus giganteus) -- photos that I have posted before ... I have to go back to the interior and try for more shots! These were taken at North West Cape, WA.
Gould's Monitor (Varanus gouldii) -- A common monitor across much of Australia. Sometimes, they will crouch when disturbed and they can be closely approached. Despite their size, they do blend well. One of the shots below shows the monitor leaning into a shrub ... it had been attempting to hide but did not change positions when I walked around the shrub.
Heath Monitor (Varanus rosenburgi) -- I need more recent shots of this species as well. This one was photographed at Two Peoples Bay, WA.
Merten's Water Monitor (Varanus mertensi) -- Two monitors photographed near Georgetown on the Cape York Peninsula of QLD.
Yellow-spotted Monitor ( (Varanus panoptes) -- big, beautiful monitors. Photos below show both western and eastern animals.
Rusty Monitor (Varanus semiremix) -- so far, the only one that I have seen. This was in the mangroves of Airlie Beach, QLD.
Black-headed Monitor (Varanus tristis) -- These photos show the tiny form found in coastal Queensland, the black-headed form from inland NSW and the speckled form from WA.
LaceMonitor (Varanus varius) -- These photos are of an animal in the Warrumbungles, NSW. I followed it for 20 minutes or so. Mostly, it just ignored me and continued with its search for prey. Finally, it climbed a tree to drink water that had collected in a depression.
Regards,
David
This post will cover the dragons and monitors.
Burn's Dragon (Amphibolurus burnsi) -- the first photo is of a lizard near Hughenden, Qld. I think that this would be at the northern distributional limit of the species. The second photo was of an animal near Goondiwindi and the third was from the Cunnamulla area of southwestern Qld.
Gilbert's Dragon (Amphibolurus gilberti) -- these photos are all from 80-Mile Beach along the road to Broome. The dragons were common and tame in a caravan park where I camped.
Long-nosed Dragon (Amphibolurus longirostre) -- these elegant dragons are common at Kalbarri and the North West Cape.
Jacky Lizard (Amphibolurus muricatus) -- the common dragon in eastern Australia. Males are flushed with black during the breeding season.
Nobbi Dragon (Amphibolurus nobbi) -- common in drier eucalyptus forest. In the breeding season, the males develop patches of pastel pinks and yellows.
Amphibolurus gilberti or A. temporalis -- I photographed this lizard near Georgetown on the Cape York Peninsula. This is roughly in the area where either A. gilberti or A. temporalis may be found and I am not certain of the identity. When I enlarged the photo and examined the keels of the scales on the back, they seem to be angled towards the midline which would be indicative of A. temporalis but the photo angle was not what I would like to be certain.
Ring-tailed Dragon (Ctenophorus caudicinctus) -- a widespread and variable dragon of northern Australia. I have photos here of animals from different areas, hence, the different colours and patterns.
Crested Dragon (Ctenophorus cristatus) -- a beautiful dragon that I saw for the first time this past summer on the Eyre Peninsula of South Australia. These large dragons bipedal when zipping away.
Tawny Rock Dragon (Ctenophorus decresii) -- I have only seen these nice dragons at Mutawintji in NSW.
Long-tailed Sand Dragon (Ctenophorus femoralis) -- this dragon is restricted to the loose, red dunes of the North West Cape area of WA.
Peninsular Rock Dragon (Ctenophorus fionni) -- these dragons were numerous in the Gawler Ranges of the Eyre Peninsula, SA.
Mallee Military Dragon (Ctenophorus fordi) -- common in the mallee south of Broken Hill, NSW.
Central Military Dragon (Ctenophorus isolepis) -- the race of this dragon from the Windorah area of QLD is particularly nice. This is a widespread species found across the dry portions of the continent.
Spotted Military Dragon (Ctenophorus maculatus) -- These photos were of animals from Kalbarri and from Shark Bay. They were common in both areas on coastal dunes or the cliffs above the ocean.
Central Netted Dragon (Ctenophorus nuchalis) -- a widespread species. The head of the male is flushed with orange during the breeding season. These dragons will allow close approach when they are sunning on the road but otherwise they are wary and hard to photograph.
Ornate Rock Dragon (Ctenophorus ornatus) -- I have included photos of the nicely coloured goldfields form as well as those from the coast.
Painted Dragon (Ctenophorus pictus) -- these were from the Lake Gillies area of SA.
Western Netted Dragon (Ctenophorus reticulatus) -- similar to the Central Netted Dragon but the head shape is different. These were on the road near the turnoff to Shark Bay in WA.
Lozenge-marked Dragon (Ctenophorus scutulatus) -- big dragons that bipedal (like Crested Dragons) when running.
Tommy Roundhead (Diporiphora australis) -- these animals were photographed at Mt. Elliott. They all show a gular fold and that is what I am using to distinguish these from the similar D. bilineata.
Two-lined Dragons (Diporiphora bilineata) -- the first two dragons are males in breeding colours. These dragons were common at Chillagoe and inland from Cooktown, QLD.
Canegrass Dragon (Diporiphora winneckei) -- the first 3 photos were of a young lizard on the crest of a dune at Windorah, QLD. The latter 3 photos were of a gravid female that was initially warming itself on the road near North West Cape, WA.
Boyd's Forest Dragon (Hypsilurus boydii) -- a beautiful rainforest dragon that is restricted to a small area in tropics of far north Queensland. These animals were photographed near Daintree.
Angleheaded Dragon (Hypsilurus spinipes) -- the southern counterpart to the Boyd's Forest Dragon. These were photographed on the Lamington Plateau.
Moloch (Moloch horridus) -- my favourite Aussie dragon that is adapted to the central and western deserts.
Eastern Water Dragon (Physignathus lesueurii) -- a common dragon usually near water in eastern Australia. Some live on rocks in marine environments.
Eastern Bearded Dragon (Pogona barbarta) -- common in dry forests in eastern Australia.
Dwarf Bearded Dragon (Pogona minor) -- common in coastal Western Australia.
Central Bearded Dragon (Pogona vitticeps) -- common in central Australia. This year, I observed a male displaying from the top of a dead clump of spinifex on the Eyre Peninsula. The male was flushed yellow and conspicuous from quite a distance. As soon as I stepped out of my car, the dragon dropped a little into the spinifex and changed to a drab grey colour that blended well.
Western Heath Dragon (Rankinia adelaidensis) -- I have Jordan (urodacus_au) to thank for this lizard near Perth, WA.
Mountain Heath Dragon (Rankinia diemensis) -- common in the Blue Mountains. I occasionally see them near Wollongong or out at Dharawal.
Earless Dragon (Tympanocryptis sp) -- Most of these were photographed near Windorah, Qld, where 3 species are possible. I believe that what I have photographed are T. tetraporiphora but I am not certain.
Perentie (Varanus giganteus) -- photos that I have posted before ... I have to go back to the interior and try for more shots! These were taken at North West Cape, WA.
Gould's Monitor (Varanus gouldii) -- A common monitor across much of Australia. Sometimes, they will crouch when disturbed and they can be closely approached. Despite their size, they do blend well. One of the shots below shows the monitor leaning into a shrub ... it had been attempting to hide but did not change positions when I walked around the shrub.
Heath Monitor (Varanus rosenburgi) -- I need more recent shots of this species as well. This one was photographed at Two Peoples Bay, WA.
Merten's Water Monitor (Varanus mertensi) -- Two monitors photographed near Georgetown on the Cape York Peninsula of QLD.
Yellow-spotted Monitor ( (Varanus panoptes) -- big, beautiful monitors. Photos below show both western and eastern animals.
Rusty Monitor (Varanus semiremix) -- so far, the only one that I have seen. This was in the mangroves of Airlie Beach, QLD.
Black-headed Monitor (Varanus tristis) -- These photos show the tiny form found in coastal Queensland, the black-headed form from inland NSW and the speckled form from WA.
LaceMonitor (Varanus varius) -- These photos are of an animal in the Warrumbungles, NSW. I followed it for 20 minutes or so. Mostly, it just ignored me and continued with its search for prey. Finally, it climbed a tree to drink water that had collected in a depression.
Regards,
David
