The secrets of wild hatchlings.

[Striker]

Striker i always thought they would generally hide in long grass and under rocks/logs. But I'm sure many climb though i'm not sure how high.

In an enclosure (if they're not in click clacks) they often seem to like going as high as they can. When I apply that to the wild it seems ridiculous that they would go the canopy. But why would they stop climbing? Maybe it's time to quit my job, do a uni degree, honours, followed by a PHD with a thesis on what hatchling pythons do so I can find out the answers. Fair bit of work for the sake of curiosity.

 

[Kam333]

In an enclosure (if they're not in click clacks) they often seem to like going as high as they can. When I apply that to the wild it seems ridiculous that they would go the canopy. But why would they stop climbing? Maybe it's time to quit my job, do a uni degree, honours, followed by a PHD with a thesis on what hatchling pythons do so I can find out the answers. Fair bit of work for the sake of curiosity.

Sure I have found plenty of hatchling coastal carpets in my avery when i lived in Indooroopilly - Brissy, little buggers used to come down on to the roof from the over hanging tree to gobble up the finches. Funny I saw more carpets there (5 mins from the cbd) than I do out here in the country.

 

[cement]

I found a hatchling swampy under an otto bin, on the road, 20m from the beach.
I have had two recorded findings of hatchling diamonds (still brown) in bird avairies.
Also found a one day old ELT, that I thought was roo poo, still had its egg tooth.

 

[redelapid]

one time i found about 3-4 hatchling water dragons all living in a small tree growing next to the river, i assume they were up there as most of the danger was on ground.

 

[user 23122]

Sure I have found plenty of hatchling coastal carpets in my avery when i lived in Indooroopilly - Brissy, little buggers used to come down on to the roof from the over hanging tree to gobble up the finches. Funny I saw more carpets there (5 mins from the cbd) than I do out here in the country.

There are more numbers of coastal carpets per square mile in suburbia than there are in natural bushland especially certain suburbs in central Brisbane where there are large numbers of possums and huge moreton bay figs accompanied by large rat populations makes a carpets paradise

 

[montysrainbow]

my hubby and his mate were doing a job out bush here in SEQ last yr and they found a heap a tiny green snakes around the job they were doing. they just worked around them but yeah....they were just out and about! and apparently super cute!

 

[dragonlover1]

We get a lot of Red Bellies around here.. find one at least once a year

friend of mine found 1 near Rossmore kept it for a while then released it.Also at a place I worked found a baby tiger snake in woodpile.

A mate of mine lives on Kelso drive and he just had a snake in his house. Was so petrified he locked it n a cupboard and pushed the whole cupboard outside with the broom. I was pretty annoyed that he didn't get a pic but very happy he didn't kill it. In his words he was too busy screaming like a female dog.

what a sook needs to grow a pair

 

[ozziepythons]

There was a study done is suburban Brisbane about wild coastal carpet pythons, and hatchlings were the most infrequently seen age group by residents.

 

[dragonlover1]

Hatchling water dragon at a water fall shortly after a storm.

nice photo

I think that hatchlings would be the least likely group to be seen as babies would be more afraid of the big bad world

 

[serpenttongue]

hatchlings are tucker for many predators, so they keep a much lower profile. They are generally very cryptic creatures and are often hard to find.

This raises another question: Do hatchings know that they are hatchlings? They don't understand the concept of growth and maturity, so are they going by instinct when they choose to remain hidden? And when does a hatchling know that it has finally matured into a bold adult that can now expose itself to basking on a branch in open gullies for all to see? Is this instinctual as well? As far as they're concerned, their habitat has remained 'to scale' regardless of their increase in size. Bigger snakes will simply have bigger predators, so why should they be less cryptic as adults? Could it be because they ARE now an adult, living out the reason for they're very existence - consuming smaller animals to keep prey populations in check, and breeding to keep their own species' population in balance? Could this mean hatchlings are hard-wired to know that the survival of their species depends on them making it to adulthood so they too can breed, and thus keeping well hidden as youngsters is of paramount importance?

 

[Striker]

This raises another question: Do hatchings know that they are hatchlings? They don't understand the concept of growth and maturity, so are they going by instinct when they choose to remain hidden? And when does a hatchling know that it has finally matured into a bold adult that can now expose itself to basking on a branch in open gullies for all to see? Is this instinctual as well? As far as they're concerned, their habitat has remained 'to scale' regardless of their increase in size. Bigger snakes will simply have bigger predators, so why should they be less cryptic as adults? Could it be because they ARE now an adult, living out the reason for they're very existence - consuming smaller animals to keep prey populations in check, and breeding to keep their own species' population in balance? Could this mean hatchlings are hard-wired to know that the survival of their species depends on them making it to adulthood so they too can breed, and thus keeping well hidden as youngsters is of paramount importance?

I have thought about all of these things. And I don't know the answers but here are some guesses. I definitely think they behave differently as hatchies. I had an olive hatchling on the grass the other day and she FREAKED being exposed. It was dusk so not too bright, but she stayed either on me, under me or if I moved a foot away from her she moved at a ridiculous pace toward shelter (either me or the garden). She actually made me feel bad that she was so upset by it all so I pretty much took her straight back inside.

As for keeping well hidden I don't think they are necessarily seeking out better hiding spots than adults. It's just they can fit into better ones, and they won't come out and expose themselves as readily as an adult. Add to this the fact that patterns/colours are usually a perfect camouflage for their environment and we're just not going to see them much no matter how hard we try.

Lastly for their species survival I think it's just a numbers game (and one they'll lose in the long term if wild populations aren't protected a little more). Lay 25 eggs, 25 offspring. Maybe one or two might make adulthood. This is where captive breeding gets interesting. A hobby breeder gets 25 snakes and they are all put out into captive collections with no predators and before we know it we have reduced the genetic diversity enormously by comparison to wild conditions due the large numbers of the same gene pool reaching adulthood and being bred from again. Particularly when snakes will be bred from several times. This comment is not a criticism of breeders by any stretch (I plan to breed) but something I think we should be consciously aware of so that where possible we try to add diversity back into breeding lines whenever possible.

But I've gone off track in a long and wordy post. In short I reckon hatchies know they're little, vulnerable and behave very differently to adults.

 

[caleb96]

Iv seen a few hatchlings mainly venomous species tho a lot of red bellies few crown snakes a carpet hatchy and a few marsh hatchling.
We see alot more adults then hatchie's out here came across a adult red-bellie today there such a beautiful snake.

 

[scorps]

I have seen hundreds of hatchings over the years, even seen them disperse the nest.
I have found nearly all of them out and about like any adult.

Totaly agree,

Every hatchling I have found has been exactly same as every adult and I've seen heaps as well, IMO they don't act much different to older animals

 

[cement]

The thing I find interesting especially with wild diamond hatchies is the time period they have to feed themselves before winter sets in. Those who breed them will know that some feed aggressively from the get go but others will take more time and others even more. I have never resorted to force feeding hatchies because I know that sooner or later their hunger kicks in and away they go, but my record for length of time (over 80 bubs),is 4 months without a feed. Now that would make survival through winter difficult for that individual. The youngest diamonds that turn up regularly for us are yearlings (though being wild snakes , maybe they are two). We very, very rarely come across any younger than that.But like I mentioned there have been a couple found in bird avairies, which in itself seems odd as they would have trouble taking a bird or a mouse at that size, yet one did have a belly full of something, so it was obviously made of the right stuff.

 

[Jungle_Freak]

Cement ,
I would think most Diamond or carpet python hatchies would be excellant feeders on geckos and skinks straight from the egg. ie their natural prefered prey ...
If i remember rightly skinks are sooo common,,,,,, the hatchlings would get plenty of opertunities to pig out ..
Your presumption about how well baby diamonds feed is based purely on captive bred stock offered rodents and not taking into account the skinks which are the natural food source and not offered to captive bred stock etc
Roger