Spring Mammals and Reptiles at Carwoola

I have put quite a few posts up from time to time featuring the mammals, reptiles and amphibians around the area but have not, for some time, attempted anything organised so here goes.

Mammals
The commonest mammal around our block is the Eastern Grey Kangaroo (Macropus giganteus).

In this case we have mum and joey.  Looking at their relative sizes, it is no wonder mum had to have a nanna-nap in the shade after shlepping that indolent child around.  To my astonishment the joey in this next image made it into the pouch and mum moved off.

I was tempted to call the above a Six-legged Kangaroo!  The following one is a male.

Swamp Wallabies, aka Swampies, (Wallabia bicolor) are frequently seen rushing around but have not stopped for a photo op. The are usually seen as singles, but on 21 November a family group of two adults and a half size joey passed by.

Brown Hares (Lepus capensis) are quite common, often exploding under ones feet when they are lurking in a Joycea tussock.  This one was contemplating entering our garden, which would not have been a happy, nor prolonged experience for it.

It is pretty however.

Rabbit. Seen but not yet photographed. (I usually have other meanings to the phrase "Get a shot ...." when rabbits are involved.)

Fallow Deer

On 21 November this one paused on the lawn for a scratch.  It appears to be a stag, with antlers just growing.

Feral Pig

These invade the property from time to time and on 14 November one paused long enough for a photo.

Not a great photograph, but we were about 100m away with a small dog jumping around on a lead at such an intruder.  However the photo does prove it was a boar!

Reptiles
As the weather has warmed up the reptiles have emerged.

The commonest (thus far) has been the Gippsland Water Dragon (Physignathus lesueurii howittii).  These are quite modest sized specimens about 50cm from nose to tip of tail.

On 9 November 2 Bearded Dragons (Pogona barbata) were basking on the road in the turning circle at the end of our road.  Here are a couple of phone-photos:

The next images are I think a Nobbi Dragon Amphibolurus nobbi which lives under the rock on which it is posing.  We walk past here most days with Tammie, who is most keen to get down to business, but is not allowed to do so.

The possible alternative is a Mountain Dragon but it isn't quite right in either shape or pattern  The clincher again Mountain dragon is the Latin for that species: Tympanocryptus diemensis.  The tympanum (ear-drum) is clearly not cryptic!

I did see a nice Common Blue-tongued Lizard (Tiliqua scincoides) but by the time I returned with my camera it was elsewhere.

Ditto for a Blotched Blue-tongued Lizard (Tiliqua nogrolutea).  This was beside Whiskers Creek Rd as I returned from a hard run

A Shingleback (Tiliqua rugosa) was more cooperative in posing.  

There are many small fast skinks in our garden.   This one is sitting on one of of snake repellers.  This is probably the Grass or Garden Skink (Lampropholis guitchenoti).  Obviously it has had a narrow escape from something, as its tail is still growing back.

Here is a close up of its head.

Long-necked (or Snake-necked) Tortoise (Chelodina longicollis) have been seen crossing the road, but thus far always when I have been in a hurry or (more rarely) camera challenged. 

I have seen both the local leg-challenged reptiles.  This one is an Eastern Brown Snake (Pseudonaja textilis).

There is a Red-bellied Snake (Pseudechis porphyriacus) living in the creek beside our drive, and presumably keeping the water dragons on their toes, but I have yet to get it to pose for me.