Morelia spilota
Life span: Up to25 years. Size: up to 4.3m, normally around 2.4meters.
Breeding: 3-7 years old depending on size, late winter to spring, eggs are laid in summer 10–60 eggs and take 5-15 weeks to hatch depending on temperature.
Habit: Arboreal, nocturnal, solitary (except during breeding season) and are competent swimmers and climbers. They don’t have venom they kill their food by constriction.
Diet: Feed on warm-blooded animals such as rats, mice, birds, possums, and bandicoots
Voice: Hisses when threatened.
Conservation: Snakes are killed by people due to fear of snakes. Rat and mice baiting can cause secondary poisoning and kill the snake if they eat infected rats or mice.
Found: in woodlands and forests.
Antaresia childreni
Life span: up to25 years. Size: 1 metre.
Breeding: 3-7 years old depending on size, mate in late winter to spring,
12 eggs are laid in summer and take 5-8 weeks to hatch depending on temperature.
Habit: arboreal, nocturnal, solitary (except during breeding season) and are competent swimmers and climbers. They don’t have venom they kill their food by constriction.
Diet: feed on warm-blooded animals such as rats, mice, birds, possums, bats and bandicoots.
Voice: hisses when threatened.
Conservation: Snakes are killed by people due to fear of snakes. Rat and
Mice baiting can cause secondary poisoning and kill the snake if they eat infected rats or mice.
Found: In rocky outcrops, escarpments, caves, hollow tree and woodlands of Northern WA , NT and North Eastern QLD.
*All Australia Native Animals are protected by the Fauna Protection Act. For more information call
National Parks and Wildlife S.A ph: 81244972 or www.wildlifepermit.sa.gov.au
forests.
Antaresia stimsoni
Life span: up to25 years. Size: 1.2metres.
Breeding: 3-7 years old depending on size, mate in late winter to spring,
12 eggs are laid in summer and take 5-8 weeks to hatch depending on temperature.
Habit: arboreal, nocturnal, solitary (except during breeding season) and are competent swimmers and climbers. They don’t have venom they kill their food by constriction.
Diet: feed on warm-blooded animals such as rats, mice, birds, possums, bats and bandicoots.
Voice: hisses when threatened.
Conservation: Snakes are killed by people due to fear of snakes. Rat and
Mice baiting can cause secondary poisoning and kill the snake if they eat infected rats or mice.
Found: In caves, rock formations, crevices, burrows of woodlands and
Nephrurus levis
Other Names: Smooth Knob Tailed Gecko
Life span: up to 8 years. Size: 10cms
Breeding: 2-3 years old, mate in spring, lay 2 eggs per clutch, and hatch in 30-60 days depending on temperature.
Habit: Terrestrial, found in a burrow by day, nocturnal, solitary (expect to breed)
Diet: Mainly insects, scorpions, spiders and other geckos during the night.
Voice: When threatened they raise their bodies and lunge forward uttering a loud wheezing bark.
Conservation: Stable populations, may be affected by feral cats eating them.
Found: Dry tropics to arid regions, usually sandy regions.
*All Australia Native Animals are protected by the Fauna Protection Act. For more information call
National Parks and Wildlife S.A ph: 81244972 or www.wildlifepermit.sa.gov.au
Pogona
Life span: 12 – 15 years. Size: 25cm.
Breeding: 2-3 years old, spring – summer, 8 – 20 eggs are laid and take about 10 weeks to hatch.
Habit: Terrestrial and semi-arboreal, commonly seen basking in the sun.
Diet: Eat a variety of insects and some plant material.
Voice: No calls are made but territorial head bobbing and arm waving is done when they see each other.
Conservation: Common in the wild, and common as a pet (but check with
National Parks and Wildlife Services if a licence or permit is required, this is different in every state of Australia)
Found: In woodlands and arid regions.
Inland Bearded Dragon
Pogona vitticeps
Central Bearded Dragon
Eastern Bearded Dragon
Pogona barbata
Coastal Bearded Dragon
Chlamydosaurus kingii
Other Names: Frilled Neck Lizard
Life span: up to 7-10 years. Size: 45-90cm in length
Breeding: 2-3 years old, mate in spring, lay 7-14 eggs, and hatch in 60-90 days depending on temperature. No parental care is given to their young.
Habit: Mostly solitary, defending territory against other Frilled Lizards.
The Frilled lizard is active during the day and like most lizards relies on the suns warmth.
Diet: Mainly insects, scorpions, spiders, small mammals and chicks.
Voice: Hisses when threatened or startled and spreads its frilly out with mouth wide open, flicking their tail from side to side trying to hit what is threatening them.
Conservation: They are in no present danger of extinction
Found: in dry tropics to arid regions, throughout northern and northwestern Australia and in Papua New Guinea.
*All Australia Native Animals are protected by the Fauna Protection Act. For more information call
National Parks and Wildlife S.A ph: 81244972 or www.wildlifepermit.sa.gov.au
Tiliqua rugosa
Other Names: Stumpy-tail, Pinecone Lizard,
Shingleback Lizard, Two headed Lizard
Life span: 12 – 15 years. Size: 26-31cm.
Breeding: 2-3 years old, mating in spring, 1 – 4 young are born and are independent at birth.
Habit: Slow moving, terrestrial lizard, are commonly seen basking in the sun. The tail looks like its head, this fools predators, given the lizard a chance to attack or run and hide.
Diet: Eat a variety of insects and some plant material, but loves eating eggs, snails and slugs.
Voice: When threatened they hiss, open their mouth and protrude their flat blue tongue. This is to scare off predators.
Conservation: Common in the wild, and common as a pet (but check with
National Parks and Wildlife Services if a licence or permit is required, this is different in every state of Australia).
Found: In woodlands and arid regions.
Tiliqua scincoids
Other Names: Eastern Blue-tongue Skink
Life span: 12 – 15 years. Size: 30-32cm.
Breeding: 2-3 years old, spring – summer, 5 – 18 young are born and are independent at birth.
Habit: Slow moving, terrestrial lizard, are commonly seen basking in the sun.
Diet: Eat a variety of insects and some plant material, but loves eating eggs, snails and slugs.
Voice: when threatened they hiss, inflate their bodies, open their mouth and protrude their flat blue tongue. This is to scare off predators.
Conservation: common in the wild, and common as a pet (but check with
National Parks and Wildlife Services if a licence or permit is required, this is different in every state of Australia).
Found: in woodlands and arid regions.
*All Australia Native Animals are protected by the Fauna Protection Act. For more information call
National Parks and Wildlife S.A ph: 81244972 or www.wildlifepermit.sa.gov.au
Tiliqua nigrolutea
Life span: 12 – 15 years. Size: 30-32cm.
Breeding: 2-3 years old, spring – summer, 5 – 18 young are born and are independent at birth.
Habit: Slow moving, terrestrial lizard, are seen basking in the sun.
Diet: Eat a variety of insects and some plant material, but loves eating eggs, snails and slugs.
Voice: when threatened they hiss, inflate their bodies, open their mouth and protrude their flat blue tongue. This is to scare off predators.
Conservation: common in the wild, and common as a pet (but check with
National Parks and Wildlife Services if a licence or permit is required, this is different in every state of Australia).
Found: in cool temperature forests, woodlands and heaths
Egernia hosmeri
Life span: up to 12-15 years. Size: 20-25cms
Breeding: 2-3 years old depending on size, mate in spring/summer, 1-6 live young are born in late summer and are miniatures of their parents when born.
Habit: Terrestrial and arboreal, found in colonies on rocky ranges and outcrops basking in the sun. When disturb they retreat into a rock crevice or hollow log.
Diet: Mainly insects, spiders, native berries and fruits.
Conservation: Populations are stable
Found: Dry tropics to arid regions, in rocky ranges and outcrops
Physignathus lesueurii
Other Names: Eastern Water Dragon
Life span: up to 12-15 years. Size: 70cms in length
Breeding: 2-5 years old, depending on size mate in spring, lay 10-20 eggs, and will hatch in 30-60 days depending on temperature.
Male Water Dragons have a reddish chest.
Habit: They spend time basking in the sun and if disturbed or threatened they will take to the water. They are powerful swimmers and have known to stay under the water for up to 90 minutes holding their breath.
Diet: feed on insects, frogs, fish, plant material, berries and fruit
Conservation: Populations are stable; they are sometimes killed by our pet cats and dogs. They thrive in urban areas such as Canberra.
Found: Around the edge of waterways in eastern Australia.
*All Australia Native Animals are protected by the Fauna Protection Act. For more information call
National Parks and Wildlife S.A ph: 81244972 or www.wildlifepermit.sa.gov.au
Varanus mertensi
Life span: up to 30 years. Size: 1.1m
Breeding: 5 -7 years old, mate in spring, lay 6 - 16 eggs per clutch, and hatching in 90 - 100 days depending on temperature.
Habit: semi-aquatic and arboreal, solitary (except to breed)
Diet: Feeds mainly on frogs, fish, carrion, but will eat insects and small mammals when available.
Conservation: Threatened by cane toads. The monitor can’t tell the difference between toads and frogs, and as the cane toad is poisonous if eaten by the monitor by mistake the monitor will die.
Found: On the edge of watercourses and lagoons of coastal and inland water ways of far northern Australia.
Varanus acanthurus
Other Names:Ackie or Ridge-tailed Monitor/Goanna
Life span: up to 30 years. Size: 63 -70 cm
Breeding: 4 -7 years old, in October to February, laying 6 - 16 eggs per clutch, and hatching in 100 - 125 days depending on temperature.
Habit: terrestrial goanna sheltering in old termite mounds, rocky crevices and in burrows. Their spiny tail helps them to wedge themselves betweens rocks.
Diet: Feeds mainly on insects, lizards, small mammals and carrion when available.
Conservation: Populations are stable
Found: in rocky ranges and outcrops with heavy to stony soils of northern Australia.
*All Australia Native Animals are protected by the Fauna Protection Act. For more information call
National Parks and Wildlife S.A ph: 81244972 or www.wildlifepermit.sa.gov.au
Chelodina longicollis
Other Names: Snake Necked Turtle, Eastern Snake-Neck Turtle
Life span: around 40 years.
Size: shell size: 25cm. head/neck: 25cm in length weight: up to 1200gms
Breeding: 7 years old for males and 10-11 years old for females, mating occurs in spring, up to 24 eggs are laid and are buried close to a nearby pond or water body, will hatch in 3-4 months.
Habit: Seen foraging close to shore or basking in the sun, they are also seen moving overland to find a new pond or creek. When threatened they let off a strong defensive odour.
Diet: Insects, fish, shrimps, yabbies, tadpoles and frogs.
Conservation: Are still commonly found, but are killed by cars when crossing roads, looking for a new pond or creek. They are also killed by fish and yabbie traps from fisherman. They get caught in these traps and can’t surface to get air, eventually drown.
Found: Coastal and inland waterways, mainly found in swamps, lagoons, slow-moving rivers and creeks.
Emydura macquarii
Other Names: Murray Turtle, Macquarie Turtle
Life span: 40 years. Size: 20-35 cm.
Breeding: 7 years old for males and 10-11 years old for females in spring, up to 18 eggs are laid and are buried close to a nearby pond or water body, will hatch in 3-4 months.
Habit: Seen foraging close to shore or basking in the sun, they are also seen moving overland to find a new pond or creek. When threatened they let off a strong defensive odour.
Diet: Insects, fish, tadpoles, shrimps, yabbies and frogs.
Conservation: Are still commonly found, but are killed by cars when crossing roads looking for a new pond or creek. They are also killed by fish and yabbie traps from fisherman, they get caught in these traps and can’t surface to get air, eventually they drown.
Found: Coastal and inland waterways, mainly found in swamps, lagoons, slow-moving rivers and creeks.
*All Australia Native Animals are protected by the Fauna Protection Act. For more information call
National Parks and Wildlife S.A ph: 81244972 or www.wildlifepermit.sa.gov.au