The ‘Wrangler’ Writes...
The dawn of a new year
brings much to celebrate – not
least of which is a great new
issue of iHerp Australia, your
FREE online reptile resource!
We’ve got some great material
for you in the next few months,
including articles by celebrated
herpetologists and a ‘venom
special’.
In this issue we sit down for a
chat with prominent Australian morph breeders
Wayne and Deb Larks. They have produced
some stunning snakes, but the time they have
put in, and the expenses they have incurred
along the way, requires true dedication.
Then veteran herper Peter Krauss gives us an
update on his large outdoor enclosures some
ten years on, and internationally-renowned
monitor expert Bernd Eidenmuller details how
he keeps and breeds the beautiful Green Tree
Monitor. Ben Dessen is along to debunk more
urban myths, and we visit the largest Traditional
Chinese Medicine market in the world – is the
trade in protected species still rife?
Plus, it’s the holiday season, so let’s head
off to Cairns with Dylan Zdravkovic. We have
an update on the iconic Sleepy Lizard survey,
and Vickie Lillo meets the incredible urban
iguanas of Ecuador. There is also a new page
entitled ‘Your Pic’ which features interesting
photos from readers, so if you have a snap of
something cool, please send it in.
Stay safe and enjoy the festive season.
Happy Herping!
John McGrath
iHerp: Wayne, you guys produce some amazing
animals. We were blown away at the Brisbane expo last
year, but can you remember your earliest experience
with reptiles?
hated them.
iHerp Australia
Every time we went on holidays I would keep
for reptiles. We used to go camping a lot, and
and aunt had a shack at Tiddy Widdy, which w
Wayne Larks: I grew up in Adelaide. When I was
of the best places to find death adders. We’re
about six or seven I found a Red-bellied Black Snake on the 1980s. My family was still scared of snake
Semaphore Beach. I picked it up, walked back into the would collect lizards which I kept in outdoor t
caravan and scared the hell out of my parents. I was
the holidays (my parents wouldn’t let them in
obsessed with reptiles at that age, but my parents
Them I would let them go.
Issue 10 | Jan - Feb 2019
CONTENTS
Interview: Sheer Magic!
Wayne and Deb Larks
from ‘Morelia Magic’.
Think BIG!
Large outdoor lizard
enclosures with Peter Krauss.
4
4
14
Think
BIG!
20
Vote 1 Greens!
Captive Husbandry of
the
‘Super’ hypo. All images by Rochelle
James unless otherwise noted.
Emerald Tree Monitor.
What’s New?
Ben’s Reptiles 101:
Reptile FAQs –
‘Myth-busters’ Part Two.
14
28
today. Image
by Sam Mills..
Your
pic.
33
Peculiar Patterns...
Peter with one of his outdoor enclosures
20
Large outdoor lizard enclosures
34
Herping legend Peter Krauss reflects on the initial construction and long-term
Medicine Market.
performance of his outdoor monitor enclosures.
Qing Ping market has been
n an article published in Reptiles Australia
being an important factor), it was at the same time
in late 2007, I wrote about the
challenging to design a type of outdoor enclosure
implicated in the sale of magazine
planning and construction of two large outdoor
which provided optimal conditions for large monito
lizard enclosures. I needed something to accommo- lizards.
protected species.
date my two groups of large monitors; Perenties
I
(Varanus giganteus) and Lace Monitors (V. varius).
Today, more than ten years later, I am in a position
to review the design and relative merits of these
enclosures.
With the help of a friend who had experience in
construction and the building industry, we began b
laying out the site of the first enclosure. This is
nonagonal in shape, with a circumference of abou
40m, providing optimal space and out-of-sight
First let’s revisit the construction phase detailed positions for individual lizards within the enclosure
by Peter back in 2007:
We marked the perimeter with sand, including the
exact position where posts were to go. The fence
I live at the northern side of the Atherton Tablelands was to have a concrete base measuring approxi-
in Far North Queensland. The climate is tropical but mately 100mm wide x 900mm deep and a
also quite dry, boasting 300 sunny days a year, with galvanized metal top panel 1200mm high. Each
high summer temperatures and cool to cold nights in section of fence was 4m or more in length, and
winter. My property is relatively small and flat, and
would end at one of the nine metal corner posts.
has no interesting features like creeks or dams or
rocky outcrops, but over the 20 years I have lived
A bobcat was used to drill the holes for the posts
here, we have planted some trees and shrubs, and
dig the trench for the concrete base. The trench w
yes, there were a few appropriate spaces for some
cleaned manually and mesh added. Then the
large outdoor enclosures. Although there were many concrete was poured and the corner posts were
obvious considerations (seasonal weather changes placed in position. So far so good!
The Greening of Guayaquil.
Urban Iguanas in Ecuador. 39
Field Diary:
Cairns and Beyond.
A region that is on every
herper’s bucket list. 46
The Sleepy Lizard survey.
Still going strong
after nearly 40 years. 52
Historical Herpetology.
The good Doctor: John White. 54
Nev goes North...TAKE 3!
Neville Burns travels
to a special forum of
indigenous rangers. 56
39
e k i l - p i h w a n i t u o g n i h s a l , n o p a e w e v i t c e f f e
f i d e t a r e n e g e r d n a d e d r a c s i d e b n a c d n a , n o i h s a f
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e v a h d n a , r e b m u n n i 0 5 d n u o r a g n i g a r e v a , y l l a u n n a
! s n a i l i d o c o r c f o s t s e n e h t e r a h s o t d e d r o c e r n e e b
46
s a n a u g i e h T ‘
d e v i r h t e v a h
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s i ’ n e k c i h c
e h t n o t o n
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’ . u n e m
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f o e l d d i m e h t n i b a d k c a m s e f i l d l i w g n i m a o r - e e r f f o
r o d a u c E ? s t n a t i b a h n i n o i l l i m 9 6 . 2 f o s i l o p o r t e m a
e r u t a n r o f t o p s t o h m s i r u o t - o c e n a n e e b s y a w l a s a h
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. n w o r c h s i n a p S e h t m o r f
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n a b r u s ’ l i u q a y a u G g n i t a r t l i f n i n e e b e v a h s a n a u g i
y e h T . s r e v i r e h t o t t s e s o l c s e c a p s n e e r g d n a s k r a p
Publisher: John McGrath
[email protected]
IT & Marketing: Andy Round
[email protected]
Social Media: Vince Pintaudi
Additional Design:
Rachael Hammond
Next Issue: March 2019.
Website: www.iherpaustralia.com.au
1.
. o l l i L e i k c i V y b e g a m I
them from their surroundings.
years, as well as 30% of the reptile,
Facebook:
frog and marsupial species found in
Australia. During our visit, the
www.facebook.com/iherpaustralia/
Next stop as we headed north was
Daintree was unfortunately a little
the
renowned
Daintree Rainforest,
Postal
Address:
quiet in terms of animal life. We
which is part of the largest tropical
managed
to turn
up a Water Python
12
Haines
Street
Mitcham,
Victoria,
3132
rainforest in Australia, as well as
(Liasis fuscus) while again searching
being
the oldest surviving
tropical
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along a dry creek bed. In the same
rainforest in the world. As a measure spot we also found a Chameleon
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of the diversity of flora and fauna it
Gecko (Carphodactylus laevis). This
[email protected]
supports,
the Daintree is home to
unique gecko sits on small plants
numerous ancient, relict species of
facing head
down to wait for a meal.
On the
cover:
Perentie
giganteus)
plants,
the origins
of which
may be (Varanus
When a potential prey item walks
Image
Michael
Cermak. past, like a cockroach or other insect,
traced
back by
more
than 100 million
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