moloch05
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I visited Monkey Mia, Western Australia, with my son in November, 2005, and then again with a friend in February, 2007. On both visits, we stayed at the campground in the Monkey Mia Resort. This is a very dry place and the resort runs a desalinator night and day to produce drinking water. Freshwater is too precious for bathing so showers were salty bore water.
During the day, we went on walks through the beautiful red dunes just across the road from the resort. Birding was good but we did not see many diurnal herps. Night, however, was productive for reptiles and we found large numbers of geckos. Some of these were spectacular in colour and behaviour. We also found several of the superbly adapted sand snakes.
Monkey Mia is famous for the dolphins that arrive each morning to be hand fed at the resort. I suppose that these animals are the chief attraction for most visitors. The bulk of the visitors were from overseas and we heard few people speaking English in November.
The habitat in the vicinity of the resort consisted of white sand near the water but larger red dunes a short distance inland.
The habitat further south beyond Denham was very dry with low-growing shrubs.
Beautiful Gecko (Diplodactylus pulcher) or Klug's Gecko (D. klugei). These geckos were common in areas with red dunes. Both species are found at Shark Bay and I don't know how to distinguish them in the field. All of the D. pulcher/klugei that we found near Monkey Mia had this pattern whereas those from the Hamelin Pool area at the other end of Shark Bay were mostly saddled.
White-spotted Ground Gecko (Diplodactylus alboguttatus). I assume that these were D. albogutttus due to the V-shaped marking on either side of the face. This was a fairly common species near the resort.
Ornate Gecko (Diplodactylus ornatus). This was yet another confusing species to me. Both of those that I observed more closely resembled the photos of Ornate Geckos rather than the similar Western Stone Gecko (D. granariensis).
Smooth Knob-tailed Gecko (Nephrurus laevis). These gorgeous geckos were common at Shark Bay.
Western Spiny-tailed Gecko (Strophurus strophurus). We found a few of these each night.
Prickly Gecko (Heteronotia binoei). This gecko was hiding beheath a board in the campground of the resort.
Gehyra variegata -- Under the same board at the Prickly Gecko.
Western Hooded Scaly-foot (Pygopus nigreceps). We saw at least two of these beautiful pygopods on each of our night drives.
Jan's Banded Snake (Simoselaps bertholdi). We saw several of these beautiful little elapids on the road at night.
West Coast Banded Snake (Simoselaps littoralis). I really like the horn-like pattern on the head.
...this was a fantastic burrower that could vanish beneath the sound in a couple of seconds.
I found several of these large scorpions in February.
Regards,
David
During the day, we went on walks through the beautiful red dunes just across the road from the resort. Birding was good but we did not see many diurnal herps. Night, however, was productive for reptiles and we found large numbers of geckos. Some of these were spectacular in colour and behaviour. We also found several of the superbly adapted sand snakes.
Monkey Mia is famous for the dolphins that arrive each morning to be hand fed at the resort. I suppose that these animals are the chief attraction for most visitors. The bulk of the visitors were from overseas and we heard few people speaking English in November.
The habitat in the vicinity of the resort consisted of white sand near the water but larger red dunes a short distance inland.
The habitat further south beyond Denham was very dry with low-growing shrubs.
Beautiful Gecko (Diplodactylus pulcher) or Klug's Gecko (D. klugei). These geckos were common in areas with red dunes. Both species are found at Shark Bay and I don't know how to distinguish them in the field. All of the D. pulcher/klugei that we found near Monkey Mia had this pattern whereas those from the Hamelin Pool area at the other end of Shark Bay were mostly saddled.
White-spotted Ground Gecko (Diplodactylus alboguttatus). I assume that these were D. albogutttus due to the V-shaped marking on either side of the face. This was a fairly common species near the resort.
Ornate Gecko (Diplodactylus ornatus). This was yet another confusing species to me. Both of those that I observed more closely resembled the photos of Ornate Geckos rather than the similar Western Stone Gecko (D. granariensis).
Smooth Knob-tailed Gecko (Nephrurus laevis). These gorgeous geckos were common at Shark Bay.
Western Spiny-tailed Gecko (Strophurus strophurus). We found a few of these each night.
Prickly Gecko (Heteronotia binoei). This gecko was hiding beheath a board in the campground of the resort.
Gehyra variegata -- Under the same board at the Prickly Gecko.
Western Hooded Scaly-foot (Pygopus nigreceps). We saw at least two of these beautiful pygopods on each of our night drives.
Jan's Banded Snake (Simoselaps bertholdi). We saw several of these beautiful little elapids on the road at night.
West Coast Banded Snake (Simoselaps littoralis). I really like the horn-like pattern on the head.
...this was a fantastic burrower that could vanish beneath the sound in a couple of seconds.
I found several of these large scorpions in February.
Regards,
David
