Reptiles Archives - Green Path

The science of goannas

Continuing from Bell’s form observations in Victoria (previous post) …

New science

After some intensive but unsystematic searching I found two relatively recent scientific publications which answered my main questions about how Bell’s form relates to the ‘normal’ goanna. It’s easier to discuss the more recent one first, so that’s what I will do.

(1) Photographic evidence

Farquhar et al (2022) had a double aim, firstly to show that iNaturalist records could assist research and secondly to use them to define (and perhaps explain) the range of Bell’s form. His results on the second point confirm common knowledge, i.e., Bell’s form is more common in drier country. He goes on to analyse, in some detail, likely environmental causes for that pattern of distribution.

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A Bell’s form goanna in Victoria

Occasional posts here on Green Path emerge from readers’ input. This one and its sequel began when Lindsay Muston sent me a comment on my old (2016) post about Dry-country goannas after coming across it while looking for more information about his resident wildlife.

Lindsay: Thought you would be interested – here’s a pair of Bell’s form goannas regularly breeding near my house. Way south! Tallygaroopna, northern Vic, about 50km south of the Murray river. Have sighted this year’s young. Historically we’ve had the standard grey goanna and have one nearby at 7’. I have known of others, similar sizes, still alive 40 years on.

Bell's form goanna in tree — Bell’s form goanna

Goannas, normal coloration and Bell’s form together

The conversation, lightly edited here for clarity, continued:
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Mixed flocks on the Common

When you see a flock of galahs, they are all galahs. When you see a flock of crows (or ravens), they are all crows (or ravens). When you see a flock of finches, they are all spice finches or all zebra finches. Birds of a feather flock together, as the saying goes.

Until you come to waterbirds. A mob of white ibis is quite likely to include some black ibis or spoonbills. Ditto gulls and terns, or cormorants and darters, or ducks and geese. Sometimes we need to look quite carefully to find the odd ones out, as a recent visit to the Town Common reminded me.

Ducks and Magpie Geese on the Town Common — Ducks and Magpie Geese

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Daintree River wildlife

What the visitor sees on a wildlife safari or cruise depends on the wildlife and the weather, but also on the guide’s interests and local knowledge. Daintree River Wild Watch advertised “Bird Watching and Photography Cruises” which ticked the boxes we wanted, and we were well rewarded.

Crocodiles are top of the list for most tourists, and we did see one, but the highlight for us was the Jabiru (Black-necked Stork, Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus) prancing around in the shallows to scare up his breakfast.

Birds

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Cobbold Gorge wildlife

This post fulfills a promise I made soon after my visit to Cobbold Gorge in Western Queensland. It was published many months late (sorry) but has been back-dated to keep it with the other posts from that trip.

Looking through my photos I found lots of birds, many of which we rarely see on the coast; quite a lot of insects, but all of them rather familiar; and not many reptiles, but only one which deserves to be featured here.

Freshwater crocodile downstream from the gorge

As usual, clicking on the images will bring them up at full size in a lightbox and reveal a little extra information.