SPECIES SPOTLIGHTS

This characteristic lizard is one of two “forest dragons” (genus Lophosaurus) living in Australia. This one is larger living in certain rainforests in North East Queensland. It has a distinctive crest and enlarged cheek scales. Males are larger than the females.

A strikingly beautiful python living in Australia. As its name suggests has a black head. Is one of two species in the genus (the other the woma python), both of which specialise in eating other reptiles. Can sometimes be mistaken for venomous snakes including western browns, inland taipans, but of…

The Dingo is Australia’s wild dog. It was introduced to Australia ca. 4,000 years ago by Asian seafarers, where they were domestic. They have now adapted to a wide variety of habitats and although not technically native, they are considered Australian fauna. They have been attributed to the decline of…

Blue-tongued lizards are the largest members of the skink family. At night they hide among leaf litter or under rocks and logs. Early in the morning blue-tongues emerge to bask in sunny areas before foraging for food. Blue-tongues live alone for most of the year, but between September and November…

Coastal Taipans are mainly diurnal, active in the early to mid-morning period. They are oviparous (egg-laying) where the female lays up to 21 soft-shelled eggs in a log hollow or cavities in the ground. The Coastal Taipan is often regarded as the most dangerous snake in Australia. They are extremely…

The common death adder occurs over much of eastern and coastal southern Australia. Thanks to its banded red earth stripes, the death adder is expertly camouflaged, hiding beneath leaf litter. It is an ambush predator, unlike most Australian elapid (the front fanged venomous snakes). The death adder venom is toxic,…

Found throughout Australia and southern New Guinea. They are mostly active at dusk and dawn (i.e. are “crepuscular”). In winter they hiberate in holes in the ground. The echidna is famous for its coarse hairs and spines which it uses to defend against predators, where it will burrow into the…

The southern cassowary is the largest bird in Australia, and the third largest in the world. They are solitary pairing up only in breeding season. The male builds a nest on the ground and uses this to attract a female to mate with. The male also incubates the eggs and…

Orangutans are great apes found in the jungles of Indonesia and Malaysia. They are the most arboreal of the great apes living in trees. They are known locally as “person of the forest”. Their species are considered critically endangered, with their habitat being depleted and also being hunted for the…

The largest venomous snake in the world that is known the world over. The species lives across northern India to China down to Indonesia. They are threatened by habitat destruction and are listed as vulnerable to extinction. The kind cobra is noticeable not just by its size but also by…

A large frog of the rainforest living across South East Asia. They are known for the camouflage where they sit in ambush amongst the leaf litter. They can be heard by their loud call which is a “honk” . Breeding takes place in streams, female frogs attach the eggs to…

They’re among the largest of all rhinoceros beetles. They exhibit sexual dimorphism where males are larger than females, with more prominent horns. The Atlas beetle is a species living in Southeast Asia. They are incredibly strong beetles able to lift objects that are up to 850 times their body weight.

Also called the flying dragon, this is a species of lizard in the Agamidae family. Living in Southeast Asia they have an incredible ability to glide or “fly” using winglike flaps that join their forelimbs with they body. Strictly they are arboreal. Males extend a dewlap to communicate. Image…

The Jungle Nymph is the heaviest of all stick insects and have the largest eggs of any insect in the world. Females are much larger than the males. The females are bright green in colour and can live up to 2 years. They are found in the Malayan Peninsula, Borneo,…

Nocturnal snake that during the day lays still in trees, at night comes to the ground and hunts prey such as rodents or even eggs. Living by river edges it is known to be an excellent swimmer. It is a venomous, rear-fanged species. Has a beautiful colouration, black with yellow…

The orchid praying mantis is found in the rainforests of Southeast Asia. It is also found in the Western Ghats of India. This species mimics the orchid flower with the four walking legs resembling the petals of the flower. It can be used as both a camouflage against predators but…

Wagler’s Pit Viper is often also called the Temple Pit Viper. It is a common species in Southeast Asia. Found on low vegetation, but can be found mid-canopy. As an ambush predator this snake can remain in the same spot for a month. It is a sexually dimorphic species, meaning…

Is a small mongoose that is highly social living in mobs of up to 30 individuals. Their home range is 5 square km. They live in a burrow systems which are cooler than the outside temperatures of the Kalahari desert where they live. They have specialised forclaws that are used…

Very widespread viper species, found from as far north as Morocco to the Cape of South Africa. Known for its large size and caterpillar-like locomotion. It is responsible for causing the most snakebite fatalities in Africa, mainly due to being an ambush predator it is easy to stand on one.

Black rhinos are the smaller of the two African rhino species. It differs from the white rhino being a browser of shrubs and trees, rather than a grazer of grasses. To grip this food it has a hooked lip. Unfortunately the black rhino populations in the wild are under threat,…

A marine mammal living in southern Africa. The Cape fur seal is a great swimmer able to dive to over 400m. They have external ears, which is the difference to the “true seals”. They are hunted on the coastline / land by jackals abd hyenas. At sea they are preyed…

There are currently nine different giraffe subspecies recognised in Africa. The Angolan giraffe is found in northern Namibia, south-western Zambia, Botswana, and western Zimbabwe. With only 13,000 remaining in the wild there are conservation efforts to monitor them and conserve their habitat.

The fourth largest tortoise in the world, and the largest in Southern Africa. It is the only member of its genus. Found commonly in thick shrub and grassland habitats, they are grazers of grasses and succulent plants where it gets most of its water needs. It may inhabit holes but…

This chameleon species is the largest in Africa. Occurs through the arid western part of southern Africa, particularly in the Namib Desert. It is terrestrial and is usually seen walking along the ground, rarely climbing unlike many other chameleon species. They are preyed upon by hawks & jackals as well…

This beautiful gecko that is nearly translucent, in the right light you can see the organs under the belly. They are nocturnal spending the day in self-dug burrows. Its unique webbed feet are the perfect adaptation for life in the Namib Desert.

Also known as the sidewinder, this snake lives in the soft dunes of the Namib Desert. Its venom isn’t considered deadly to humans but is powerful enough to subdue insect and lizard prey. Wiggles its caudal lure (tip of tail) in order to attract prey. Capable of drinking coastal mist…

This species is native to Southern Africa, including in the countries of Angola, Namibia, Botswana and South Africa. It is mainly active at night but can be seen out in the mornings and evenings. Known for its unique zebra-like vertical stripes. Flattens its head into a hood like other cobra…