Wildlife Photo Collection

[Gruni]

Eastern or Golden Water Skink Eulamprus quoyii is what is pictured. While they are found more commonly near water bodies it is not essential.

Copper tailed Skinks Ctenotus taeniolatus are striped, smaller than E. quoyii and live in generally drier locations. Having said that I have found both sp within 100m of each in Logan and Greenbank.

cheers
scott

Is there a difference between a Golden Water skink and an Eastern Water skink?

 

[eipper]

No difference other than the common name. This is why I prefer to give the scientific name and then the person can then copy and paste into google to get a common name

 

[Gruni]

Thanks Scott.

 

[XKiller]

I went through my photos afew mounths ago as a lot I've never bothered to look at and found meny animals I couldent remember photographing quoil was the most shocking...

 

[Gruni]

Well I found two pics I missed before but more to the point I have a lizard I need an I.D. for...

Firstly the Land Mullet from Springbrook SE Qld.

And now the I.D. puzzle. You guys said the lizard from earlier was a Ring-Tailed Dragon, dad got some pics of this guy from Moora area north of Perth WA. The tail doesn't seem to be as slender as the other one and I'm not convinced about the head shape but dad was led to believe this guy is the same species. So the question is... is it a Ring-Tailed too?

 

[eipper]

Ctenophorus reticulatus by the looks of it

 

[Xeaal]

These are great photos! That monitor really wanted to hang out with you guys at the camp

 

[Gruni]

Thanks Scott, I looked at some of the online images for Western Netted Dragons (Ctenophorus reticulatus) and there is such a colour range in them... there are some that make this one look drab.

Dad was saying that there were two of them in the burrow at the time so I'm guessing a mating pair.

Thanks Xeaal, they are real cheeky characters, we have had them wonder into camp and pinch stuff from right next to you while you are distracted. They have a real soft spot for chicken eggs and they don't mind a bit of bacon to go with it.

 

[Bluetongue1]

A female Reticulated Dragon (C. reticulates), like Scott said, and she looks gravid. The colour you see is typical of adults but the male quickly passes through this phase even before it is sexually mature. Males colour up with red and sometimes greens as well, during the breeding season and can be quite specly. Hence you do not see many photos of non-breeding males, females or juveniles.

the skink thats labeled an eastern water skink is the exact type i have living in my front yard , i was told they where golden bar skinks? probably wrong though , the funny thing is though that there isnt any large bodies of water anywhere near by and they have clearly made a colony as theyve been there for years in large numbers

The Eastern Water Skink belongs to the genus Eulampres (Sphenomorphus before that). This group currently has 15 members, of which about half have the term “bar-sided” in their common name. A few more have that pattern but are named after people, rather than their appearance. Consequently, the group is sometimes referred to as the “Bar-sided Skinks”. The more acceptable group name, which still is not entirely correct, is “Water Skinks”.

The main issue with common names is there is no decision making body in control and they vary from place to place. The ‘Shingleback’ along the east coast is called a ‘Bogeye’ along much of the western slopes and ranges, the ‘Sleepy Lizard’ in much of South Australia and a ‘Bobtail’ in WA. There are several other names applied, rather more spasmodically, such as ‘Two-headed Lizard’, ‘Pinecone Lizard’, ‘Stumpy –tailed Lizard’ or Stump-tailed Lizard.


Love the shots of the Merten’s. The second shot reminds me of the lumbering gait of Komodos and big Perenties – really prehistoric looking.

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Eastern or Golden Water Skink Eulamprus quoyii is what is pictured. While they are found more commonly near water bodies it is not essential.

Copper tailed Skinks Ctenotus taeniolatus are striped, smaller than E. quoyii and live in generally drier locations. Having said that I have found both sp within 100m of each in Logan and Greenbank.

cheers
scott

I did a lot of herping in southern Sydney when I growing up. Cannot recall find finding water skinks or copper-tails within cooee of each other. The water skinks were always in the valleys near the water and the coppertails were located on rock shelves on or near ridge lines. Same thing with RBB’s and yellow-faced whips.
Many years on my brother bought an acreage at Wedderburn, about 10 km on from Campbelltown. I gave a hand establishing things. We used rock without cement or railway sleepers as retaining walls. One time when visiting in summer, I was relaxing outside enjoying the ambience of nature. The next thing I know this rather large eastern water skink popped out from between some sleepers, about three metres away from his fish pond. I called my brother and he said he often saw two or three sunning themselves on the rocks overlying the pond. The pond was built to be visible from indoors so he was able to observe them without disturbance. About half an hour later I was in the front of the house and saw a couple of copper-tails and a Jacky lizard. They disappeared back into the rock work when I got too close and the Jacky into a shrub.
I would estimate the house to be at least one kilometre from the nearest drainage line.

I have seen both water skinks and young water dragons in the rocks at the edge of the beach. The rocks actually copped the spray from the surf. It seemed decidedly strange at the time. However, when I thought about it, this would provide a humid environment linking one drainage system to the next, allowing for the expansion of occupied range. Just a thought.

Blue

 

[thomasssss]

The Eastern Water Skink belongs to the genus Eulampres (Sphenomorphus before that). This group currently has 15 members, of which about half have the term “bar-sided” in their common name. A few more have that pattern but are named after people, rather than their appearance. Consequently, the group is sometimes referred to as the “Bar-sided Skinks”. The more acceptable group name, which still is not entirely correct, is “Water Skinks”.

The main issue with common names is there is no decision making body in control and they vary from place to place. The ‘Shingleback’ along the east coast is called a ‘Bogeye’ along much of the western slopes and ranges, the ‘Sleepy Lizard’ in much of South Australia and a ‘Bobtail’ in WA. There are several other names applied, rather more spasmodically, such as ‘Two-headed Lizard’, ‘Pinecone Lizard’, ‘Stumpy –tailed Lizard’ or Stump-tailed Lizard.

ok finally managed to snap a few pics ( as i haven't had a decent camera ) what would you say this guy is , theres heaps of them around my place , i commonly see 5 or more running around and this year theres been heaps of little bubs about so id say theyve had a good breeding season

 

[Gruni]

Given the speckled sides I'd say they are Eastern Water Skinks the same as the one dad photographed.

 

[Albino93]

Yeh thats an eastern water skink, i found quite a few down here and wondered the same thing, so i asked on here and i was told the easiest way to tell is from the 2 yellow stripes going down the back/side.