Pirra Jungku Project Species Guide
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The Pirra Jungku Project is a collaboration between the Karajarri Rangers, Environs Kimberley Pirra Jungku Project and the Threatened Species Recovery Hub with funding from the Australian Government’s National Environmental Science Program and the species guide Western Australian Government’s NRM Program. Reptiles * Asterix means the animal can be tricky to ID. Take a good photo, or bring it back to camp for checking, but do this as a last resort. Don’t bring back any snakes, in case they are poisonous. Dragons Upright posture (stick their heads up), have small, rough scales, each leg has 5 clawed fingers/toes. MATT FROM MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA CC BY 2.0 WIKIMEDIA COMMONS JESSSARAH MILLER LEGGE Slater’s ring-tailed dragon Central military dragon (Ctenophorus slaterii) (Ctenophorus isolepis) Rocky country. Reddish colour with black Sandy country. Very fast on ground. spots on back and dark rings on the tail. Reddish colour with white spots and stripes. JESSCHRISTOPHER MILLER WATSON CC BY SA 3.0 WIKIMEDIA COMMONS ARTHUR CHAPMAN NICOLAS RAKOTOPARE Pindan dragon Horner’s dragon Northern Pilbara tree dragon (Diporiphora pindan) (Lophognathus horneri) (Diporiphora vescus) Thin, slender body. Two long white stripes Ta-ta lizard. White stripe from lip to back legs. Lives in spinifex. Plain colour, sometimes down back that cross over black and orange Tiny white spot in ear. with orange tail, and long white and grey tiger stripes.* stripes down body.* CHRISTOPHERSARAH LEGGE WATSON CC BY SA 3.0 WIKIMEDIA COMMONS Dwarf bearded dragon (Pogona minor) Grey with flat body with spiny edges. Has small spines on either side of the jaw and on the back of the head. Geckos Do not have eyelids, have long toes and padded fingers, soft skin. EWANSARAH NOAKES LEGGE JESSSARAH MILLER LEGGE Desert fat-tailed gecko Robust termitaria gecko (Diplodactylus laevis) (Gehyra kimberleyi) Fat tail and skinny fingers and toes with Pale to dark brown in colour with alternating no toe pads. rows of dark and light spots. Has toe pads for climbing.* CHRISTOPHERSTEPHEN MAHONY WATSON CC BY SA 3.0 WIKIMEDIA COMMONS SARAHMACDONALD LEGGE C BY 3.0 WIKIMEDIA COMMONS JESSKAMAHL MILLER BANGU Purple dtella Bynoe’s gecko Sand-plain gecko (Gehyra purpurescens): (Heteronotia binoei) (Lucasium stenodactylus) Pale purplish grey in colour with dark grey Covered with scales which look prickly but Pinkish to reddish-brown with white spots or brownish-grey spots or streaks which are soft when you touch them. Colour and or a white stripe which branches to form a form a net-like pattern across the body. pattern can vary greatly. No toe pads. Y shape near the head. Colour and pattern Toe pads for climbing.* can vary. No toe pads. CHRISTOPHEREWAN NOAKES WATSON CC BY SA 3.0 WIKIMEDIA COMMONS ENVIRONS KIMBERLEY CHRIS JOLLY Western beaked gecko Northern spiny-tailed gecko Jewelled gecko (Rhynchoedura ornata) (Strophurus ciliaris) (Strophurus elderi) Reddish brown with pale spots which have Has long spines along the top of the tail and Brown or grey with tiny white spots which dark edges. Have dark markings or stripes above the eye. Colour light to dark grey. have a black border. Has a short, swollen tail. on the back. Colour and pattern can vary. Toe pads for climbing. No toe pads. Legless lizards No front legs, small flaps where the back legs would normally be, thick tongue (snakes have a thin, forked tongue) and obvious ear holes. Sometimes have re-grown STEWART MACDONALD SARAH LEGGE Rusty-topped delma Unbanded delma tail, which a snake never has. (Delma borea) (Delma butleri) Brown to grey in colour with 3-4 black bands Doesn’t have strong pattern on top of head, on the head which extend down on either but can have thin whitish bars on side of head. side to the throat.* Fine dark edges to body scales.* SARAH LEGGE SARAHSTEWART LEGGE MACDONALD SARAHMATT CLANCY LEGGE WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY CC BY 2.0 WIKIMEDIA COMMONS Desert delma Black-necked delma Burton’s legless lizard (Delma desmosa) (Delma tincta) (Lialis burtonis) Brown with 3–4 dark bands on the head Greyish-brown to reddish brown with 3–4 dark Pencil lizard. Pointed, wedge-shaped nose and neck.* bands on head and neck in young lizards. and thin, slit-like pupils. Colour and pattern Tail is nearly 4 times the length of the body.* can vary. KAMAHLSTEWART BANGU MACDONALD Western hooded scaly-foot (Pygopus nigriceps) Obvious flaps for back legs. Light brown body with pattern. Large black patch on back of head and black stripe through eyes.* Skinks SARAH LEGGE STEWART FORD Desert rainbow-skink Giant desert/grand ctenotus (Carlia triacantha) (Ctenotus grandis) Greyish-brown with pale stripe under eye. Big body. Reddish-brown with 5 narrow Breeding male has a shiny green head dark stripes running down the centre of and neck with reddish-brown flanks. the back and small pale dots on either Has 4 fingers and 5 toes. side of the body and legs. SARAH LEGGE JENNY KS CC BY SA 3.0 WIKIMEDIA COMMONS SARAH LEGGE Spotted-necked ctenotus Clay-soil ctenotus Bar-shouldered ctenotus (Ctenotus greeri) (Ctenotus helenae) (Ctenotus inornatus) Dark brown with white dots and dashes on Olive brown to shiny greenish-brown with Brown with 2 white stripes running either side of the body. Has a dark stripe with no pattern or with dark stripes running down either side of the back. white edges running down the centre of the down the back.* back and two white stripes on either side.* SARAHANN JONES LEGGE JESSSARAH MILLER LEGGE SARAH LEGGE Leopard ctenotus Fourteen-lined skink Coarse sands ctenotus (Ctenotus pantherinus) (Ctenotus quattuordecimlineatus) (Ctenotus piankai) Copper brown to greenish-brown in colour Reddish brown with 14 black or whitish stripes Reddish brown with 6–8 pale narrow stripes with dark-bordered white/ pale spots. running down the back and tail. running down the back.* CHRISTOPHERCHRIS JOLLY WATSON CC BY SA 3.0 WIKIMEDIA COMMONS STEWARTMACDONALD MACDONALD C BY 3.0 WIKIMEDIA COMMONS SARAHKAMAHL LEGGE BANGU Rock ctenotus Barred wedgesnout ctenotus Mosaic desert skink (Ctenotus saxatilis) (Ctenotus schomburgkii) (Eremiascincus musivus) Olive-brown to reddish-brown in colour Olive to orange-brown with black stripes Pale yellowish to orange-brown with a pale with a white-bordered dark stripe running running down the centre of the back and two stripe running down the centre of the back down the centre of the back.* white stripes on either side. Has pale spots/ from head to tail and spots all over the blotches on the flanks.* body forming a net-like pattern. CHRISTOPHEREWAN NOAKES WATSON CC BY SA 3.0 WIKIMEDIA COMMONS NICOLAS RAKOTOPARE NICOLAS RAKOTOPARE North-western sandslider Dampierland slider Slender worm-slider (Lerista bipes) (Lerista separanda) (Lerista vermicularis) Pointed head. No front legs, back legs have Sand dunes. Thin with a flat, pointed nose. 2 toes each. Has a dark stripe along the sides of the body. Pale yellowish brown to pinkish brown in Orange tail. Has four legs with 4 fingers/toes colour. Has no front legs, back legs have each. 2 toes each. MCCANN MUS VIC MALCOLM LINDSAY STEWART MACDONALD Common dwarf skink Lined fire-tailed skink Ornate soil-crevice skink (Menetia greyii) (Morethia ruficauda) (Notoscincus ornatus) Very small, has 4 fingers and 5 toes. Five fingers and 5 toes. Black and white stripes Big eyes, and coppery brown colour. Black Brownish grey to grey in colour with dark down the side of the body. Tail is red. side-stripe and sometimes dots on the back. dashes on the back and a dark stripe running across either flank. SARAHCHRIS JOLLYLEGGE SARAHSTEWART LEGGE MACDONALD SARAHENVIRONS LEGGE KIMBERLEY Western soil-crevice skink Northern soil-crevice skink Centralian blue-tongued skink (Proablepharus reginae) (Proablepharus tenuis) (Tiliqua multifasciata) Has a long tail and big eyes. Brown with Copper brown to olive-grey. Mature males Blue tongue with black stripe behind eye. dark-bordered scales forming a net-like are red on the sides of their head and neck.* pattern. Breeding males have red on the sides of their head and neck.* Goannas MACDONALDBENJAMINT444 C BYGFDL 3.0 1.2 WIKIMEDIA PUBLIC DOMAIN COMMONS JESSKAMAHL MILLER BANGU Ridge-tailed monitor Pygmy short-tailed monitor (Varanus acanthurus) (Varanus brevicauda) Spiny tail which has lighter rings. Small goanna with short tail and no stripes Many spots with dark centres all over body. along tail. CHRISTOPHERJESS MILLER WATSON CC BY SA 3.0 WIKIMEDIA COMMONS SARAH LEGGE Pygmy desert monitor Pygmy mulga monitor (Varanus eremius) (Varanus gilleni) Small goanna with reddish body and white Small, grey goanna with dark bands across stripes along tail. body and tail. Blind snakes Worm-like snakes which burrow into the ground; head and tail are the same thickness. SARAH LEGGE JESS MILLER Northern blind snake Long-beaked blind snake (Anilios diversus) (Anilios grypus) Pink body with rounded head.* Very skinny, pink body with black head and tail.* NICOLAS RAKOTOPARE Interior blind snake (Anilios aff. endoterus) Medium sized, pale head with pointed snout.* Snakes JESS MILLER SARAHKAMAHL LEGGE BANGU North-western shovel-nosed snake Northern shovel-nosed snake (Brachyurophis approximans) (Brachyurophis roperi) Pointed head. More greyish, and dark bands Pointed head and dark bands across body. across body are more than 4 times as Venomous but do not bite if kept calm. broad as the white bands. Venomous but do not bite if kept calm. SARAH LEGGE CHRISTOPHER WATSON CC BY SA 3.0 WIKIMEDIA COMMONS MACDONALD C BY 3.0 WIKIMEDIA COMMONS Narrow-headed whipsnake Moon snake Mulga (king brown) snake (Demansia angusticeps) (Furina ornata) (Pseudechis australis) Skinny, fast snake with white ‘tear drop’ Reddish/yellowish-brown in colour with a Brown, scales have thin dark edges.