Herping Finds :)

[dihsmaj]

Haha
I've looked around a lake, not found a single thing. Literally.
Except for some tadpoles haha

 

[Wally]

Keep looking. You'd be surprised where you find things sometimes.

 

[richoman_3]

Good pics mate , at least you found a few sp., been out a few times this winter and have had a bit of success. Sometimes you can go somewhere and not find hardly anything except for a few garden skinks or 'Elf' skinks (Anepischetosia).

I was stoked when I found my first Little Whip Snake too (many years ago though), something different to the more conspicuous species you get around Melbourne, will never forget the smell they emit when being handled, you can't get it off your hands until you really scrub them
And will never forget the day when one bit me on the finger :x, didnt think too much of it until about an hour later when i became dizzy and threw up, the bite area was itchy for about a week.

yeah i was so happy to find it, its actually the only snake ive seen in melbourne (2nd species ive seen ever - other was keelback on Fraser Island)
im trying to find tiger snakes and white lip snakes now, but apparantly white lips numbers have dropped alot because of poaching i was told
lucky when i handled it, it didnt release a smell on me: :shock:, when i lifted the rock and found it, it kept trying to escape but it sooned calmed down and just rolled into a ball - i think they do this when they are scared?

 

[GeckPhotographer]

Please don't think I am trying to attack you or anything but as since flipping rocks is illegal and handling native wildlife is illegal, probably best to keep it off a forum that specifically has in its site rules not to talk about doing anything illegal or condone illicit activity? I mean I totally understand where you are coming from and all just pointing it out.

 

[richoman_3]

Please don't think I am trying to attack you or anything but as since flipping rocks is illegal

umm, since when? (ill delete these posts after i know why :S )

 

[waruikazi]

Don't bother mate, no one will get upya.

Taking pictures without a permit is illegal too, but no one will ever get in trouble for it.

 

[richoman_3]

haha ok... just never heard of lifting rocks being illegal :S - for national parks i think that applies?

 

[JordanG]

taking pictures without a permit is illegal?
that's just ridiculous everyone should be able to take pictures of our native wildlife without having it being illegal activity.

 

[GeckPhotographer]

Well I could spend ages digging up actual documentation and telling you my interpretation of it, but since ages ago before I was born. It does sort of depend where you are doing it but generally any council or public land it is a form of vandalism or habitat destruction. If you are in a State Forest or National Park it is straight out no murk illegal. It is somewhat open to interpretation and I know the RDU legal speil interprets this part differently, just pointing out it is better to be on the safe side of murky laws. (If you were flipping on private land with the owners consent it is fine).
The handling reptiles part is just straight out illegal and you can probably just google that yourself or as I say read the RDU legal speil.

As I say not trying to be nasty, it's just something to avoid mention of in places like this, especially when you are openly admitting to do it searching for reptiles. In fact I go out of my way as you might notice in my earlier thread, to make it obvious I am not catching animals and not flipping rocks. (Please feel free to flip rubish.)

Taking pictures is absolutely fine in most places as long as you are not "disturbing or causing distress to the animal". But now that you say it you do need a permit if you are doing it for commercial reasons in a National Park.

 

[richoman_3]

yeah i know handling is illegal... but if you put the rock back in its place how is that vandalising... its like doing graffiti then cleaning it up?

 

[GeckPhotographer]

All I am saying is in a society where moving a snake off a road is illegal but chopping its head off is fine, you are far better staying as much as possible where nobody can possibly interpret you as doing anything wrong. If you are putting rocks back and cleaning up after yourself it is great and you are doing the right thing, nobody is likely to get annoyed about it, but just to be on the safe side. No reason really to delete the posts, leave it here so other people get the message that it is better to be on the safe side. (You have no idea how many scientists I meet that rage about the field trips that things like SOFAR or FATS do and keep warning that there will be a crackdown.)

 

[richoman_3]

well lets hope they dont have a crack down

heres another photo of a frog, not that good but still

 

[Renenet]

Taking pictures without a permit is illegal too.

What, really? Not having a go at you, Waruikazi, it would just be ridiculous if true.

Taking pictures is absolutely fine in most places as long as you are not "disturbing or causing distress to the animal". But now that you say it you do need a permit if you are doing it for commercial reasons in a National Park.

That sounds more sensible.

 

[Treknotechelaps]

im trying to find tiger snakes and white lip snakes now, but apparantly white lips numbers have dropped alot because of poaching i was told

Tigers are pretty common around Melbourne, but the white-lips have become more uncommon in recent years due to removal of cover such as rocks and logs, increase in the numbers of cats and illegal collecting. I used to see alot of White-lips in the 90s but attempts to locate them around Melbourne recently have failed :|. Their more common around the outer eastern suburbs of Melbourne, used to see alot around the lower parts of the Dandenongs.
Would love to find a green-coloured white-lip, only seen grey, brown and reddish coloured ones.

lucky when i handled it, it didnt release a smell on me: :shock:, when i lifted the rock and found it, it kept trying to escape but it sooned calmed down and just rolled into a ball - i think they do this when they are scared?

Lucky for u, not sure if the smell is as bad as Blind Snakes tho...
Pretty hard snakes to photograph sometimes as they thrash themselves about and that's where they get their name 'Little Whip Snake' from, and, yeh, they curl themselves up into a 'ball' and hide their head when threatened.

 

[nirofett]

nice finds!
i live in melbourne, i was wondering whereabouts you found these guys? ive been living here for ages and having found much, but i haven't really been out looking, i want to find some good places to look in melbourne?

cheers nilesh

 

[richoman_3]

I used to see alot of White-lips in the 90s but attempts to locate them around Melbourne recently have failed :|. Their more common around the outer eastern suburbs of Melbourne, used to see alot around the lower parts of the Dandenongs.
Would love to find a green-coloured white-lip, only seen grey, brown and reddish coloured ones.

Pretty hard snakes to photograph sometimes as they thrash themselves about and that's where they get their name 'Little Whip Snake' from, and, yeh, they curl themselves up into a 'ball' and hide their head when threatened.

i am going to the dandenongs in summer for a herp, cant wait

perfect description of their behaviour!!!

Heres a few pics from Today,

More frogs

An old Friend

A new friend !

a slater eating spider?

Not as successful today but found an awesome new spot there (where i found the other bluey) and cant wait to check it out!, im sure in summer it will be pouring with snakes
also the geckos were to fast for pics this time lol

 

[Wally]

Nice. If you want to head over to the western suburbs when it warms up shoot us a pm and I'll let you know a couple of good spots, one in particular with a good amount of whips, tigers and a very healthy population of cunninghams.

 

[richoman_3]

Nice. If you want to head over to the western suburbs when it warms up shoot us a pm and I'll let you know a couple of good spots, one in particular with a good amount of whips, tigers and a very healthy population of cunninghams.

that sounds sweet
my dad said he will drive me to some good spots this summer (good to see i dragged him in!) so im getting ready for a good summer

 

[Snowman]

Keep it up. I'd like to see evidence of a 14 year old actually getting fined for lifting up rocks and carefully putting them back. Regardless of what the laws are. Better to see a young man off the couch and away from the playstation IMO. great pictures too. Youre developing quite talent there. No pun intended.

 

[snakeluvver]

Still havent seen a wild bluey :|