15.July.2016 (Day 40)

Bananas about Goannas

I can’t stress this enough, fire is as much a part of life in the NT as trees and dirt. If my pictures have somehow failed to do it justice I have to make it painfully clear: everything up here burns at one time or another.

No matter how hopeful I am for a ‘new and improved’ field site, I need to accept that, sooner more likely than later, it’s going to burn down.

There goes the neighborhood

A lot of the plants and wildlife and amazingly resilient. I doubt this landscapes has always burned down every year like it does now, but most things around here are remarkably adapted to avoiding fires and eventually returning (and thriving) in charred landscapes.

Eastern long-necked turtle (Chelodina longicollis)

Other individuals?

Not so much.

You’ve lost some weight

Many of the plants look like they do better after a blaze comes through. And the difference between NT fires and CA/AZ fires is that they happen so often. Most of the undergrowth doesn’t have time to stack up and turn into an 8 billion degree inferno that scorches half the city.

I’m guessing most of the animals just pack up shop and move out of the way.

Others choose the lazier method a hitchhike on unknowing biologists.

Jumping Spider (Salticus scenicus)

These little guys really seem to defy gravity, and all reason, when they’re hoping all over your pant leg. Walking around in fire-ey areas (yes, I made up a word, a place currently in the process of smoldering away) is a sure way to get you covered in these spiders. Every time they jump they’ll release what’s called a lifeline which is a single, almost invisible strand of ultra-durable silk. If the jump fails it can quickly pull itself back to its original position. They use their back legs (3^rd and 4^th pair) for jumping (plus avoiding panicky hand swats) and the front legs for pouncing on prey. Pretty sweet.

I went back to the same hole I found six water pythons last night to release my captures.

And bingo, two more males in the same area!

I don’t know if there are multiple females in the hidey-hole or the stank (pardon my vulgarity) of the female from last night just kept callin’ ‘em.

While looking for even more I could hear something shuffling about.

Another male per chance? Couldn’t be, too good to be true.

Even better.

This may not excite you the way it does me, but seeing this shape gets all my cylinders fired.

I was not about to reach my hand in there to pull this little lady out, hopefully you remember how large the male was (I only know it’s a female because I saw the big male courting her a few weeks ago, sorry no photos)

Floodplain goanna/Northern yellow spotted monitor (Varanus panoptes)

Luckily some gentle prodding got her turned around so I could get a good look at her face. Marvelous!

What big eyes you have

It’s so great to see a (presumably) mating pair in the area. They’ve taken such a hit since the cane toads rolled through and it would be a real shame to have such a magnificent creature gone from the area.

She looked in pretty good shape too.

Except she did have a tick on her neck…

And on her eye!!!

Gross

I’ve learned another very important lesson as well. ALWAYS look before you lay down to try to get close-ups of animals. You really never know what you’re going to being laying on.

Giant snappy ant (Odontomachus turneri)

I’m often confused on where common names come from.

No questions here.

Giant, check.

Ant, looks right.

I would only add outrageously ahead of snappy.

Lesson learned. I’m going to nurse my wounds.