moloch05
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Today, I visited the cliffs along the Shoalhaven River near Nowra. It was beautiful with temps of about 23C. I found several Yellow-faced Whipsnakes (Demansia psammophis) that were sunning near the edge of the cliffs. Here is the sort of habitat where I encountered the snakes:
While I photographed rock orchids along the edge of a cliff, this whipsnake crawled out to sun itself on the same ledge where I sat. It is not a good pic but I was happy to have a photo since whipsnakes are wary and hard to approach.
Later, while walking to another outcrop, I heard what I assumed to be a lizard scurry through dry leaves and into a hollow stump. I waited a few moments and then saw the head of a whipsnake. While I was taking lens cover off my camera, another head appeared. The two snakes then emerged from the stump and began to twist and wrap their bodies together. Often the snakes seemed to move in unison but other times, their heads and upper bodies would move apart but their lower bodies remained intertwined. The snakes were in constant motion. At times, it seemed that they were stretching out their bodies to determine who was bigger.
I initially thought that the snakes were copulating but when I examined the photos, I cannot really see contact between their vents. I looked on the net and read male Demansia will engage in combat in the spring (see http://www.environment.gov.au/biodi...bs/volume2a/35-fauna-2a-squamata-elapidae.pdf). Shea, Shine and Covacevich state that when mating, the two snakes will remain locked together, with relatively little movement, for a prolonged period—often several hours. This was not the behaviour that I observed since the two snakes were thrashing about and twisting continuously. I did not, however, see either attempt to bite the other as described the Shea et al. I did see what appeared to be an attempt to push down the head of the opponent (see 1st and 5th photos below).
This behaviour lasted for perhaps 5 minutes. The smaller of the two suddenly turned and crawled into a bunch grass. The other still thrashed about for a few more moments, then it also crawled into the same thicket as the smaller snake. I could not see either so I don't know whether this behaviour continued.
I saw a few additional herps including two colonies of Cunningham's Skinks (Egernia cunninghami). One of the colonies lived here:
Elegant Snake-eyed Skinks (Cryptoblepharus pulcher) were common on the rocks.
I also saw a few Grass Skinks (Lampropholis delicata) -- This one was demonstrating why it is called "Lampropholis":
These Flat Spiders (Hemicloea sp.) were common. They are really incredible spiders with such an incredibly thin body adapted from life in crevices.
Rock Orchids (Dendrobium sp.) are in full flower. Their yellow sprays of flowers are a lovely sight on the cliffs.
This area is home to many cycads:
Regards,
David
While I photographed rock orchids along the edge of a cliff, this whipsnake crawled out to sun itself on the same ledge where I sat. It is not a good pic but I was happy to have a photo since whipsnakes are wary and hard to approach.
Later, while walking to another outcrop, I heard what I assumed to be a lizard scurry through dry leaves and into a hollow stump. I waited a few moments and then saw the head of a whipsnake. While I was taking lens cover off my camera, another head appeared. The two snakes then emerged from the stump and began to twist and wrap their bodies together. Often the snakes seemed to move in unison but other times, their heads and upper bodies would move apart but their lower bodies remained intertwined. The snakes were in constant motion. At times, it seemed that they were stretching out their bodies to determine who was bigger.
I initially thought that the snakes were copulating but when I examined the photos, I cannot really see contact between their vents. I looked on the net and read male Demansia will engage in combat in the spring (see http://www.environment.gov.au/biodi...bs/volume2a/35-fauna-2a-squamata-elapidae.pdf). Shea, Shine and Covacevich state that when mating, the two snakes will remain locked together, with relatively little movement, for a prolonged period—often several hours. This was not the behaviour that I observed since the two snakes were thrashing about and twisting continuously. I did not, however, see either attempt to bite the other as described the Shea et al. I did see what appeared to be an attempt to push down the head of the opponent (see 1st and 5th photos below).
This behaviour lasted for perhaps 5 minutes. The smaller of the two suddenly turned and crawled into a bunch grass. The other still thrashed about for a few more moments, then it also crawled into the same thicket as the smaller snake. I could not see either so I don't know whether this behaviour continued.
I saw a few additional herps including two colonies of Cunningham's Skinks (Egernia cunninghami). One of the colonies lived here:
Elegant Snake-eyed Skinks (Cryptoblepharus pulcher) were common on the rocks.
I also saw a few Grass Skinks (Lampropholis delicata) -- This one was demonstrating why it is called "Lampropholis":
These Flat Spiders (Hemicloea sp.) were common. They are really incredible spiders with such an incredibly thin body adapted from life in crevices.
Rock Orchids (Dendrobium sp.) are in full flower. Their yellow sprays of flowers are a lovely sight on the cliffs.
This area is home to many cycads:
Regards,
David
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, did you shoot the pics in nth nowra?
