The secrets of wild hatchlings.

[Striker]

Just a discussion topic for my own curiosity and to hear from some more experienced herp guys. Does anyone regularly find hatchlings of any type in the wild? My whole life I have only once come across a hatchling. It was a diamond on a rock face in the bush at about midnight. It's the only wild hatchling of any species I have ever seen and I get curious about them. It is hard to figure out what wild life would be like when we only get to watch them in click clacks. It is just as hard to find info about hatchling habits online.

So here is what I wonder about during my relentless periods of boredom if anyone wants to suggest any answers-

Where are they all (given clutches are so large)? - I know many die young (predators etc) but you'd think you'd still occasionally come across some.
How high will arboreal hatchlings climb? Are they right up in the canopy in the bush all they way at the top of trees or do they stay relatively low?
Do they travel much as hatchlings or do they pretty much stay in the same spot until they are bigger and less susceptible?
Where do they spend winter? Obviously the stakes are a lot higher with regards to site selection for decent weather protection and avoiding predators when you are that small.

So many more questions. Maybe we should sponsor a hatchling study....

 

[Widdup]

The only thing hatchie that i have ever found was a diamond hatchie unde a rock.

 

[Red-Ink]

70-80cm scrubbie

 

[mad_at_arms]

I imagine they are doing their best to be undetected by something much larger than their own selves.
At least I hope.

 

[Chanzey]

Definitely no expert, but I've come across two hatchling carpets and a baby brown tree snake at my house, not many adults around that I've seen though, first one was one of the first snakes I caught so wasnt really confident with it, looking back, I dont think it would of bit me.
The other two were very placid.

 

[oOLaurenOo]

Hatchies are very small = food for EVERYTHING. You don't usually see them because they are busy hiding from the world. They usually seem to live around rocks and in leaf litter. Lifes pretty hard when your not much bigger then a pencil.

 

[mad_at_arms]

I have seen hatchy eastern browns scuttling out of the long grass when my Dad mowing (maybe 5-6 off them)

 

[Ambush]

We get a lot of Red Bellies around here.. find one at least once a year

 

[Striker]

We get a lot of Red Bellies around here.. find one at least once a year

I'd like to see some of those.

 

[Ambush]

Tonnes of snakes around here.. Entrance into a mine every time i went there. was some kind of snake. Lots of Red bellies here.

 

[shell477]

Found a baby copperhead under a sheet of tin when I was younger. Brother went to pick it up because he thought it was a lizard...

 

[noved]

the last big rain we had i rescued 6 keelback hatchies off kelso drive,it was raining pretty hard and i had to stop traffic but sadly two where already run over ..

 

[PilbaraPythons]

I have seen hundreds of hatchings over the years, even seen them disperse the nest.
I have found nearly all of them out and about like any adult.

 

[Bushman]

They are good questions Striker and well worth asking. I've often wondered about these things myself, to which I'm still seeking answers. Of course the answers depend upon and vary with the species. I think that 'oOLaurenOo' said it well in post #6 of this thread, hatchlings are tucker for many predators, so they keep a much lower profile. They are generally very cryptic creatures and are often hard to find.

 

[Stompsy]

the last big rain we had i rescued 6 keelback hatchies off kelso drive,it was raining pretty hard and i had to stop traffic but sadly two where already run over ..

A mate of mine lives on Kelso drive and he just had a snake in his house. Was so petrified he locked it n a cupboard and pushed the whole cupboard outside with the broom. I was pretty annoyed that he didn't get a pic but very happy he didn't kill it. In his words he was too busy screaming like a female dog.

 

[Striker]

So what do you reckon about the climbers? Canopy or lower to the ground?

 

[PythonOwner25]

I have seen hatchy eastern browns scuttling out of the long grass when my Dad mowing (maybe 5-6 off them)

I've seen that with browns, also red bellies.

 

[Python-Lover4lyf]

Striker i always thought they would generally hide in long grass and under rocks/logs. But I'm sure many climb though i'm not sure how high.

 

[Moreliavridis]

Hatchling water dragon at a water fall shortly after a storm.

 

[PythonOwner25]

Hatchling water dragon at a water fall shortly after a storm.

I have seen heaps of hatchie Gippsland water dragons hatchies There are heaps of adults around but if you look in the crevices,caves and shrubs i always find hatchlings