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Bluetongue1
Guest
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
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