Another drive and ID lol

[Bluetongue1]

Waruikazi. That definitely looks like a Mulga (Pseudechis australis) - the boofy head, the thick, slightly flattened body and the pale base colour to the scales. It appears to have two temporal scales but the grass obscures where the dividion would be in each picture.

The Dwarf Mulga has been split off due to smaller maximum size and differences in DNA. They have yet to look at the large number of existing museum species to ascertain which are P. weigli and so determine an accurate distribution and relative abundance.

Kawasakirider. Because frogs (along with reptiles) are a common element in the diet of mulgas and the larger snakes can take on adult toads, which are more poisonous than the toadlets, they are one species that has dropped dramatically in numbers following toad invasion of their habitat. However, if the toads manage to get away from a snake that is attempting to eat it and the snake survives, it can learn not to eat toads. This has been observed with a number of different species. The downside, of course, is that this behaviour is not passed on to the young.

Blue

 

[Eddie2257]

quick fact the p. weigli is named afer John Wiegle who owns the Australian Reptile Park and Snake Ranch
Eddie...

 

[Bluetongue1]

My bet is that if they were hungry enough, I couldn't see why a toad wouldn't be on the menu, unfortunately. It would be interesting to see if these "savvy snakes" would eat a toad if offered in a captive environment. Captive bred animals seem to be real pigs. Mine even eat paper towel if for some reason I skip a feed

Unbelievable! A snake with table manners... actually wipes its mouth after eating. Very impressive!

 

[Nephrurus]

If you picked it up you would have been able to check if the sub-caudals were all single or divided.
Single: weigeli
some divided: australis.

Unfortunately it's not exactly hard and fast, although just about all "weigeli" (kimberley species) i've seen have minimal divided sub-caudals and the australis have quite a few divideds. COmbine that with observations on colour, size, etc and you've got a pretty good idea which species it is.

I'd call it australis. Nice one!

Here are some kimberley mulga (north Kimberley) to compare.

Pseudechis australis-8660.jpg photo - Henry Cook photos at pbase.com

Pseudechis australis-8657.jpg photo - Henry Cook photos at pbase.com

and a freshly roadkilled one

_DSC5913.jpg photo - Henry Cook photos at pbase.com

 

[waruikazi]

I usually make a point of not touching the dangerous ones unless i have too.

I was always leaning more to the mulga side of things, to have a few others agree confirms it for me.

Pretty stoked to have found the little blighter, my herping career is almost complete in the top end now. Only 2 more species to find!

 

[SteveNT]

How big were your juvies?

And toads all the way down to kal? That's devastating!

About half a meterish.

They are into the desert country now, long way south of Larjamanu, so they are into the central catchment.

The folk in Kalkaringi/ Dagaragu have a use for them. If cockroaches are overwhelming the house they bring in a couple of toads. Two days later no cockies! Last step bash and release toads.

Which 2 species?

 

[Jonno from ERD]

I'm guessing Taipans and Oenpelli's as his last two species...

 

[SteveNT]

I'm guessing Taipans and Oenpelli's as his last two species...

I'll wager he hasn't found all the blind snakes yet. There are big mobs of types.

And he lives in Oenpelli, surely he's come across one by now!

And now is definately NOT the time to find taipans, they're breeding, they're large and they are very territorial. I've been chased twice (once over a considerable distance) and I dont recommend it!

 

[waruikazi]

I'll wager he hasn't found all the blind snakes yet. There are big mobs of types.

And he lives in Oenpelli, surely he's come across one by now!

And now is definately NOT the time to find taipans, they're breeding, they're large and they are very territorial. I've been chased twice (once over a considerable distance) and I dont recommend it!

I've seen 14 of those pythons and 2 tais, but they were all at Darwin museum in barrels of spirits lol.

Maybe one day i'll find some live ones.