Not wanting to have a repeat of last year, I’ve been getting out virtually every weekend in the second half of this year trying to track down reptiles of all shapes, sizes and colours (but generally thin, small and brown). One Sunday in July saw three friends and me heading up Mt Elliot to track down the mountain’s endemic skink. It’s a hard climb, made even harder by carrying 12kg of camera gear. We took a break near Alligator Creek and watch a bunch of saxicoline* sunskinks run around.
Saxicoline* sunskink (Lampropholis mirabilis). On a log. The irony is not lost on me.
Feeling suitably refreshed, we continued up the mountain. After getting to the correct elevation (these skinks are known only from around 425m ASL), we commenced poking around. It wasn’t long before the representative for Sweden (sadly not a backpacker and decidedly not female) came up with the goods.
Mt Elliot mulch-skink (Glaphyromorphus clandestinus)
Mt Elliot mulch-skink (Glaphyromorphus clandestinus)
Glaphyromorphus clandestinus habitat
It was just after noon, and we’d already found the beast we were after. Two of the others (let’s call them Soft and Softer) decided to call it quits and head back down. SMZ4 and I thought we’d attempt an ascent to around 1000m ASL and look for the endemic microhylid frog, Cophixalus mcdonaldi. Long story short, it took us another couple of hours to get up to 600m ASL. At this rate, we’d be getting back to the car park at about 3 in the morning, so we gave up and started making our slow and painful way down the mountain. We got back down to the car park at about 8 PM and drove home, satisfied that we’d found the skink, but making plans to go back for the frog.
Running total of Australian reptiles I’ve seen: 339
Reptick:
Glaphyromorphus clandestinus
*saxicoline: adj. dwelling on rocks.
Which one is Softer?
I refuse to answer that question on the grounds that it may incriminate me.