congo_python
Very Well-Known Member
Great pic's and good to see they are still breeding in the wild due to the male juvy capture.
Well that's a little embarrassing. I upped the wrong picture last night, i'm surprised no one jumped on me about it!
Thankyou for making this thread Fay.
Here's a few pictures of the big female we found on the second night plus the young male. I'll post answers to questions after this post.
Doesn't really show how big she is, over 3m but probably under 4. Perfect condition, great girth and muscle tone, hardly any scars and maybe one or two skin worms.
Thanks for sharing! Most of the time information like this is hidden away to those not "in the loop" so I commend you for being so open!
Just out of curiosity, why the drop bears? A handy way to get away from search filters? An In-joke?
I never said they eat fruit bats exclusively. All the specimens I have met hunting have been doing so at ground level. Not good bat habitat . Countrymen tell me they think bats are their main food but wallaroos and possums are definately on the menu.
Gordo,
Congratulations on the find!
From your experience so far, what are their temperaments like? I realise they're probably not to everyone's taste, but I love the look of them.
Oh, and how long do you think it will take for the young fella to be old enough to breed?
Excellent result finally getting a male and 3 females. Good thing the sex ratio wasnt the other way around. That boy will have a lot of pressure on him in a few years.
Gordo, with regard to their diet, were there any signs(fur/claws etc) of the species that they eat in their faeces?
Bit of a gross question really but scientifically relevant. Also how are the captives taking to feeding in captivity if you dont mind me asking?
Not so Steve. There are some bats that hunt animals that are on the ground, like the ghost bat. They swoop down and pick frogs, geckos and i'm sure anything else that is small enough to eat.
Yes but it's hardly likely that oenpellis are going to wait next to prey items on the off chance that a ghost bat will swoop down lol. More likely to grab them in their roost.
Were the faeces collected for further analysis? A good lab should be able to identify the type of mammal that she preyed upon. Analysis of any faeces that may be passed by these wild caught specimens (if they had anything in their system at the time of capture) would give invaluable insight into prey species selection. Of particular interest would be any faeces from the juvenile male. I wouldn't be surprised if scales were found, indicating that juveniles include reptiles in their diet.I saw the poo from Ingrid the big girl, it was full of fur. Couldn't tell what it was from. Ingrid is feeding very well but Esther stopped feeding voluntarily.
Were the faeces collected for further analysis? A good lab should be able to identify the type of mammal that she preyed upon. Analysis of any faeces that may be passed by these wild caught specimens (if they had anything in their system at the time of capture) would give invaluable insight into prey species selection. Of particular interest would be any faeces from the juvenile male. I wouldn't be surprised if scales were found, indicating that juveniles include reptiles in their diet.
Oenpelli's have very Morelia like heads and bodys. If anything scrubbies least resemble other morelia.
Looking forward to these being around in captivity.
haha, the recent photos i had seen just didn't bring justice to their body shape. but the pictures posted just after your post really show how much they look like Morelia species! sorry about that ...:lol:
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