brown snake in the garden suits me just fine.
Neville: In my case it is black snakes, Tiger Snakes
and the odd Diamond Python! As possibly the worst
photographer in herpetological history I am very
envious of your skill with a camera!
You have done quite a bit with a mutual friend,
Gerry Swan. How did you two meet and are you still
collaborating on projects?
Steve: Gerry and I linked up via the publishers,
New Holland. They were aware of both of us as
herpetological authors and wondered whether we
would like to collaborate on a comprehensive reptile
handbook. ‘A Complete Guide to Reptiles of
Australia’ is now, in 2017, in its fifth edition and
current to the end of 2016.
Neville: I’ll be grabbing the fifth edition for sure.
What other publications have you personally
authored?
Steve: I have been involved in nine published
books as co-author or sole author. The first was
Wilson and Knowles, 1988; ‘Australia’s
Reptiles’ (Collins Publishers). Other recent books
include the 2012 ‘Australian lizards: A Natural
History’ (CSIRO Publishing), the 2015, second
edition of ‘A Field Guide to Reptiles of Queen-
sland’ (New Holland Publishers), the 2016 ‘Reptiles
of the Scenic Rim Region’ in collaboration with the
Scenic Rim Regional Council, and as already
mentioned, the 2017, fifth edition of ‘A Complete
Guide to Reptiles of Australia’ (New Holland
Publishers).
Neville: Steve, you also work as an information offi-
cer with the Queensland Museum and are involved
with removing reptiles and other animals from gas
pipeline trenches in parts of Australia. Can you tell
us a little about this?
Steve: I have been working with the Queensland
Museum since around 1986. As an information
officer, I educate the public, deliver talks and hope-
fully instil a desire to conserve our unique biological
heritage. Much of the work involves identifying
specimens. Over the years this has evolved from
people bringing items in, to more online communi-
cation as images are submitted electronically. I
prefer the good old days of face to face, but I must
admit that the efficiency of receiving instant images
has eliminated many of the labyrinthine descriptions
of impossible creatures that leave me floundering. I
have endured countless dialogues along the follow-
ing broad theme: ‘It was sort of thinnish or thickish
with spines/scales/fins and it looked like it was
going to attack…and I can’t tell you more because it
was actually my neighbour who saw it, and he
reckons it’s deadly and he ought to know because
he’s lived in the bush all his life…..’ Sigh. On the
plus side I have met countless wonderful people,
and in a sense my workplace is a focal point where
so much of the public’s extraordinary observations
and discoveries are channelled. These have
included bags of ichthyosaur teeth, images of
combating pythons hanging from gutters, so many
feeding and mating events, and even a male toad
trying to amplex the head of a bemused Eastern
Water Dragon. It has been priceless.
I have also been involved in monitoring fauna for
the gas pipeline construction industry. Regardless
of your views on whether gas pipelines are a good
thing, when ‘pit traps’ (trenches) spanning hundreds
of kilometres are being dug, clearly someone must
be there to get the animals out. I have been doing
this in collaboration with friend and colleague, Gerry
Swan. On our first job, a 350-kilometre line from
‘Amongst the reptiles we
removed from the trench
were a new species of
earless dragon, a probable
new slender blue-tongue,
and hundreds of brown
snakes every colour variant
you can think of.’
Moranbah to Townsville, we recorded exactly 800
snakes. Among these were over 100 Ornamental
Snakes, which gave us a good insight into their
population density and habitat preferences. Only a
pipeline trench could produce such results.
On another project, a 950-kilometre trench from
east of Roma in Queensland to Moomba in SA, we
removed 15,000 vertebrates. These included a new
species of earless dragon, a probable new slender
blue-tongue and hundreds of brown snakes of multi-
ple species and every colour variant you can think
of. We are currently working on a project running
450 kilometres across the Barkly region of NT. It is
in its early stages, but we have already made some
interesting finds and hope to compile a comprehen-
sive transect of reptile distributions across the
Barkly between Tennant Creek and the Queensland
border. There is no more effective way of sampling
a region’s reptile fauna than monitoring such an
extraordinary pit trap. Watch this space!
Neville: Steve it has been fascinating and thanks so
much for your time.