Odatria_1_OCT08 - Victorian Herpetological Society

Odatria
Newsletter of the Victorian Herpetological Society
No. 1, October 2008
Contents
2008 VHS Committee:
President: Kevin Welsh
Secretary: Andrew Owen
Treasurer: Phil Elliott
Exec. Comm. Member: Peter Comber
Exec. Comm. Member: Michael Alexander
Welcome to Odatria
2
Adventures in the Land Down Under
by Greg Maxwell
3
Odatria Editors/Producers
Andrew Owen
Kevin Welsh
“Odatria” is published by The Victorian
Herpetological Society Inc, Copyright 2004 all rights
reserved. Apart from any fair dealing, as permitted
under the Copyright Act, no part may be reproduced
or stored by any process without written permission.
Enquiries should be directed to VHS committee.
Beginners Guide to Keeping...
Pythons
by Andrew Owen
6
Any views or opinions are entirely those of the
relevant author and do not necessarily represent the
views of the Victorian Herpetological Society Inc.
Meeting Review
Alan Henderson
Sept 5th, 2008
8
Correspondence:
PO Box 4208, RINGWOOD VIC 3134
[email protected]
Puzzle Pages
10
www.vhs.com.au
Photo credits with photos. Uncredited photos
are from VHS archives. Photos published are the
property of both the Victorian Herpetological
Society Inc. and the respective authors. Subject
to full copyright and all rights are reserved.
WPTAC
by Peter Comber
12
Any articles should be sent to the editor in electronic
form and/or in printed paper format. All articles
are refereed by person/s in the respective field.
Photos, slides and diagrams are encouraged as
all can be used and should be sent via registered
post or email. Taxonomy usually follows Wilson
& Swan, 2003 but authors can cite other references
if used. The VHS editorial staff have the right
to refuse publishing any articles that are
deemed unsuitable, offensive or controversial.
Children and the Scaley Ones
by Kerrie Alexander
14
Classic Article
Keeping and Breeding the Coastal Taipan
by Brian Barnett
16
The VHS would like to thank the following
individuals for their help & support:
Cover Photograph:
Pygmy Mulga Monitor Varanus gilleni
by Damian Goodall, Eye for Nature
Brian Barnett, Lani Barnett, Daavid Turnbull,
Judy Turnbull, Jennifer Lewin, Rachael Hammond,
Victoria Sullivan, Mark Borg, Luke Ludwell,
Marrianne Beatty, Melissa Carstens, Kerrie
Alexander, Robyn Welsh, Simon Watharow
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Welcome
In this edition you will notice the first of a couple of
regular features we have planned for Odatria.
Welcome to the first edition of Odatria! It has been an
interesting and enjoyable experience putting together
this first edition for our members, we hope it lives up to
your standards.
“Classic Articles” is a feature in which we will revisit an article from the past. With so many issues of
Monitor having been successful and many no longer
available to purchase, why not have a second look at
the classics? We will also endeavour to get an update
from each author on the species featured. So if there
is an article you’ve heard of, or just a particular animal
you would like to see covered, please request it!
So firstly, what is Odatria? Well after giving our printed
publication, Monitor, an indefinite rest, suggestions
were put forward for some sort of a ‘mini-monitor’ in
place of regular Monitor, so what better name for our
electronic newsletter?
The name Odatria is widely recognised as a sub-genus
(sometimes genus) of monitors (Varanus). The name
covers all of the Australian goannas usually regarded
as the ‘pygmy monitors’, e.g. Spiny-tailed (acanthurus),
Storr’s (storri), Pygmy Mulga (gilleni) etc. (except the
Canopy Goanna, keithhornei). The name was first
used by John Edward Gray in 1838 in his description of
our Black-headed Monitor, currently Varanus (Odatria)
tristis tristis, but described at the time as Odatria
punctata. Most scientific names are Greek or Latin in
origin and usually refer to a particular characteristic
of the genus or species. The name Odatria, however,
appears to be simply made up by Gray, he had a
penchant for names that sounded nice and is known
to be responsible for others, like Delma, Carlia, Tiliqua
and Egernia to name a few.
“A Beginner’s Guide to …” is exactly that. Care sheets
are something people often ask for and our society
sees the need to lead the way in providing advice for
new herp keepers. We had several requests for care
sheets at the 2008 Expo, and with the recent update
of the VHS website we noticed a lack of good, basic
information. We will add the Beginner’s Guide articles
to the website as they are completed and endeavour to
print off copies to have at future meetings and expos.
I hope this first article gives some of our members the
confidence to help out and write a Beginner’s Guide,
it would be much appreciated by the committee and,
more importantly, the beginners out there! Our plan is to
cover the most common reptile and amphibian groups
(e.g. monitors, frogs, turtles), then the more common
species in those groups (e.g. Spiny-tailed Monitors,
Green Tree Frogs, Long-necked Turtles).
We hope that the more relaxed feel to our newsletter
is welcomed by you, our members, and gives more
people the confidence to submit articles to strengthen
the quality of Odatria.
The VHS plans to continue to publish Odatria on a
regular basis and value all VHS members contributions
and feedback.
Adventures in the
Land Down Under
by Greg Maxwell
On Saturday the 23rd we headed to the showgrounds
and the expo, after getting a behind-the-scenes tour of
the reptile house at the Melbourne Zoo that morning.
We had stopped by the showgrounds the day before to
check on the setup which was underway, but now the
place was full of people and the air was buzzing with
excitement. In a way, it was very nostalgic for me. The
atmosphere, the types of reptiles and the displays, all
took me back in time to the first large reptile show that
I attended. It was 1993 and I was operating a reptile
cage manufacturing company called CageMaster. We
did monthly small shows in several locations, but in
1993 we branched out nationally. In May of that year
I went to the first of many large expos around the US.
This one was in Hamburg, Pennsylvania, held in a large
field house intended for sporting events. My mate Phil
Black lived nearby and went with me, and to this day
we recall the absolute buzz in the air! Captive breeding
of reptiles was peaking at this time in the States and
the air was electric with anticipation. By the end of the
day we had sold a truck load full of cages, made a lot
of money, spent a lot of money, and were filled with
enthusiasm about what lay ahead for both the cage
and the captive breeding markets.
In February of 2008 I had the privilege of traveling to
Australia to spend a week as a guest of the Victorian
Herpetological Society. I was honored to be one of the
speakers at the Societies meeting, and I also attended
the Herp Expo held the day prior to the annual meeting
at the Agricultural Hall, Melbourne Showgrounds.
My time in Australia included meeting up with friends
in Sydney and making new ones in Melbourne and
Cairns.
I was greeted at the airport by Judy Turnbull, webmaster
of The Herp Trader, and her husband Daavid. I could
not have asked for better hosts, and their enthusiasm
for meeting me was matched by my own pleasure at
making such good friends right off the bat. I was to
learn that this is the norm for Aussies. Everyone whom
I met was wonderful and gracious. After a Thai lunch
we met up with a few colleagues at the Vibe Hotel,
our headquarters for the next couple of days. I was
jet lagged after the 15 hour flight from LA, but I was
determined to stay awake and not miss any of the fun.
That afternoon we visited the Aquarium and Reptile
Centre, a pet store with many nice displays that were
much nicer than the average pet store in the States. I
was given a very cool clock made from a CD disk with
a photo of a Diamond Python on it. This gift now sits on
my desk and is a cool reminder of my first day in Oz.
My traveling companions to Sydney were my good
friend Simon Treseder, and his mate Ross Hillyard, both
residents of Sydney. I had met Simon a couple of years
previously and had enjoyed hosting him at my place
for a few days in October of 2006, and now he was
returning the favour. I could not have asked for better
companions than Simon and Ross, both of whom had
flown down to Melbourne to meet me and to attend the
expo and talks. I spent a very enjoyable couple of days
with these two, seeing the sights of Sydney and having
dinner at the top of the Sydney Tower Restaurant on
Monday evening.
On Sunday we made our way to Monash University
where the talks were to be given. First up was Australian
herpetologist Steve Wilson, whose talk about the herps
of Cape York was fascinating and well-documented with
wonderful photos. I was introduced after Mr. Wilson’s
talk and gave the first of two presentations about my
work with Green Tree Pythons. The first talk focused on
husbandry; the second illustrated the various selectively
bred colour morphs that we are developing in America. I
answered some questions from the audience following
the talks, signed some books, and then we had some
quick slices of pizza before being whisked off to catch a
plane to Sydney. Brian Barnett showed us some fancy
driving to get us there in tim
Brian had arranged for me to spend time with German
herpetologist Peter Krauss, who lives in Cairns and
who came to Australia to work as a zoo keeper in the
1950’s. Simon dropped me off at the airport on Tuesday
evening, and a large storm closed the entire airport for
about an hour and delayed all the flights. While waiting,
a very nice Australian girl sitting next to me struck up a
conversation and asked about the nature of my travels.
As I explained my purpose and destinations, she made
fun of my American pronunciation of “Mel-born” and we
had a good laugh. Finally the storms cleared and my
flight to Cairns took off.
Peter Krauss met me at the Cairns airport and we drove
through the night in pouring rain. I was soon to gain
firsthand knowledge about the rainy season that I had
read about for years. The first day at Peter’s, it never
stopped raining, and when I say rain, I mean hard rain!
At home we would have had huge evacuations from
such heavy rainfall, but of course Cairns has evolved
with this amount of water falling. We did not allow the
dampness to affect our mood, and I enjoyed a wonderful
two days with Peter, his wonderful wife Milli, and
several friends who came by to visit. We did some road
cruising at night and animal life was plentiful, brought
out in abundance by the heavy rains. We saw several
kinds of snakes, common to Peter but amazing to my
American eyes. Best of all was the gorgeous blue tree
snake that we observed on a back road on Thursday
and photographed. The hospitality of the Krauss’s and
the wonder meals will last in my memories for a lifetime.
Peter’s outdoor monitor pits are most impressive, as
are all of his herps.
A couple of weeks after my return home, a beautiful gift
arrived from the Herp Society- they had known of my
love of opals and had sent me a wonderful watch as a
thank you gift. I wear it all the time, and you can be sure
that each time I look at it, I remember the words of Mr.
Wilson during his talk: “In Australia, there are two kinds
of herpetologists, those who have seen a wild green on
the Cape and those who have not.” I would add that in
America, we have two kinds of herpetologists; those
who have been to Australia and those who have not.
Due to the generosity of the Victoria Herpetological
Society and all those who helped to bring me down
under, I can proudly say that I am one of those fortunate
Americans who has been to the Land of Oz.
Due to the heavy rains threatening to close the main
road back to the airport, we decided to head to town
on Thursday night and stay at a hotel. My flight back
home left the Cairns airport early in the morning. I
headed home with my head full of the memories of this
wonderful country Australia, all the friends I had met
and made, and the rich diversity of Australian wildlife
I had seen.
A Beginner’s Guide to ...
Pythons
By Andrew Owen
Pythons are increasing in popularity as pets in Australia and many species are now available.
Keeping native species as pets is a good option ecologically and if the animals’ basic needs are
met they can thrive in captivity.
Housing
Pythons should be kept individually in a secure enclosure made from thermally efficient material
(material that holds heat well like wood or plastic, not a glass fishtank). A glass front allows for
viewing your animal. The diagram below illustrates a basic python set up and minimal requirements
for a healthy animal.
Housing hatchling/juvenile pythons
If you purchase a hatchling/juvenile python keep it
in a “click-clack” (small, secure container) inside your
enclosure until it is an appropriate size for the enclosure this could be up to a year. Too many people get impatient
and put their small python in an enclosure too early, only
to have the animal escape through gaps around glass &
vents, etc!
Guide to enclosure size
Arboreal python Terrestrial python
(tree dwelling) (ground dwelling)
Length
Width
Height
¾ of snake length
Length of snake
½ of snake length
¾ of snake length
Length of snake
½ of snake length
Substrate
Shedding (Sloughing)
Choice of substrate (the material on the
bottom of your enclosure) varies. Small
gravel can look nice, but cleaning time
is increased. Newspaper is hygienically
and practically best but not as visually
pleasing.
Feeding
Before purchasing your python make
sure it has been feeding on thawed mice
or rats. You may think it is boring feeding
your pet the same meal but a mouse
or rat has all the nutrients needed. If a
python is happily feeding don’t change
things.
Pythons shed their skin every couple of months or
so, more frequently as they are growing. A sign of a
healthy python in a good environment is its shed. A
good, whole skin shed signals correct humidity and
health. If a shed comes off in patches perhaps more
cage furnishing with rough sections are required and
more humidity. Greater humidity can be achieved by
increasing the size of the water bowl or occasional
light spraying of the enclosure with water. Any retained
shed, in particular on the eyes and tail tip, must be
removed.
Handling
Juveniles should be fed every 7-10 days,
slowly increasing the size of the meal
as your python grows. Adults should be
fed a meal around 20% of their body
weight every 2nd week (possibly more
in summer and less or no food in winter).
Pythons are predominantly nocturnal so
feeding after dark is best. If your python
refuses a feed, don’t be alarmed. Some
don’t eat when they are about to shed
and some will go off food in winter.
When a new animal is purchased, introduce it to its
new home and leave it alone until it is feeding and
comfortable in its surroundings. If your snake is about
to shed (signaled by milky eyes) leave it alone until
shedding is complete. The snake’s eye sight is poor
at this time and handling is stressful. After a feed
leave your python alone to digest its meal and if you
usually feed your python at night it is advisable not to
handle it at night.
Drinking Water
Drinking water should be available at
all times to your Python. Refrain from
simply topping up the water bowl as
much as possible. A couple of times a
week, remove the water bowl, empty &
clean the bowl thouroughly, then re-fill
with fresh water.
VHS MEETING REVIEW
SEPTEMBER 5th, 2008
ALAN HENDERSON
Then it was time for Part 1 of Alan’s talk:
Feeding the Devil, during which he shared many
fascinating facts and stories about the Thorny
Devil, accompanied by brilliant photography. Alan
has been lucky enough to work with these animals
at Melbourne Museum and his expert knowledge
of invertebrates prepared him well for keeping
an animal that requires on average 1485 ants per
day!
Setting up and maintaining the ant colony requires
as much, if not more, effort and knowledge than
keeping the devils. The Melbourne Museum has an
ant colony housed in an old termite mound which
is on display in a separate enclosure to the lizards.
To create ant trails, sweet food is placed in various
locations outside the mound. Several times a day
visitors can observe the devils eating as they are
introduced to the ant enclosure and placed along
an existing trail to feed.
We headed back to Monash University for the third
Victorian Herpetological Society meeting of 2008.
The meeting started off with the usual VHS auction,
with several herpers out for a bargain! Some of
the more sought after items were a Thick-tailed
Gecko (donated by Mike Alexander of Black Snake
Productions), a 12 month subscription to the new
herp magazine Scales & Tails (donated by Scales
& Tails), Repta Pet heat mats & globes (donated
by Mimmo from Repta Pet) and several cartons
of quality crickets (donated by Frank), with 400
crickets in each carton going for just $10, they were
snapped up!!! Thanks to everyone who donated
items for the auction, much appreciated. Thanks
also to our newest member, young Jordan whose
eagerness to bid was much appreciated by all (well,
perhaps not so much his dad!), congratulations &
all the best with your new gecko.
Another highlight included a description and live
demonstration of how the devils drink. They are
able to stand in shallow water and the water is
drawn up via capillary action to channels which
run all over their bodies. These channels direct
water to the corners of the mouth and the devil
simply opens its mouth slightly to drink.
Many more great photos showed the audience
the vast range of invertebrates both on show at
the Museum and available to keep as pets. We
can only see the hobby of keeping invertebrates
growing as new species are found and knowledge
of their husbandry requirements improves.
After a quick break in which we got to get up close
and personal with a live Thorny Devil, Alan began
his second talk: Keeping Bugs Alive. Although an
unusual topic for a VHS meeting, the talk proved
to be very interesting. A photo of an, as yet,
undescribed species of huntsman spider from
far-north Queensland had the audience intrigued
early. This animal had orange, yellow and brown
patterns covering its body, Alan hopes to name this
species the Tiger Huntsman. Another interesting
photo showed a black and white striped morph of
the spiny leaf insect.
As usual the night ended with socialising over
pizza. Hope to see you all at the next meeting!
PUZZLE PAGES
Brought to you by Jen Lewin & Andrew Owen
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BLACKHEAD
LIZARD
CARPET
PYTHON
CLAWS
QUEENSLAND
DESERT
REPTILE
FANG
SCALES
FORKEDTONGUE
SLOUGH
GECKO
SNAKE
GOANNA
TAIPAN
HISS
TURTLE
KEELBACK
VENOM
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Across
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Most northern location of Australian Green Pythons
Male reproductive organ in reptiles
Boyd’s Rainforest Dragon, Hypsilurus ............
Popular Woma locality
Smallest Australian Python
A form of Spotted Python
Australia’s largest long-necked turtle species, ..........-shelled
Turtle
‘Two headed’ lizard, ............-tailed Lizard
Tree Frog genus
Snow white animal with no pattern
Popular Death Adder locality
Introduced toad species
Ant eating lizard
Snake Ranch’s Salt & Pepper are what type of Blue-tongued
Lizards
....... legless lizard
Old Green Python name
Longest monitor found in Australia
Most recently described Python (Smith,1981)
A form of Lace Monitor
Down
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27.
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Surname of the first person to breed the Rough-Scaled Python
The ‘Barefoot Bushman’
............. Monitor, Varanus acanthurus
Describes a female undergoing egg development
Inland Carpet Python, Morelia spilota ............
Aspidites ...................
This animal has the most toxic venom of any known land snake
Most endangered Australian frog
Green Python guru
Brown Tree Snake or ........... Tiger
...........-tailed Gecko
Wildlife Possession and
Trade Advisory Committee
WPTAC
The ‘Wildlife Possession and Trade Advisory Committee’ is
a body put together in the mid 1980’s in an attempt to provide
‘expert’ advice to the licensing division and policy makers of
the (then) Department of Conservation Forests and Lands.
Now known as the WaGLS (Wildlife and Game Licencing
Service) of the DSE, (Department of Sustainability and
Environment). This committee is made up of representatives
from DSE, the Bureau of Animal Welfare, Zoos Victoria,
PIJAC (Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council), wildlife
demonstrators and displayers, the Trappers Association
of Victoria, the Australian Taxidermists Association, the
Victorian Avicultural Council, the Marsupial Society
of Victoria and of course the Victorian Herpetological
Society. The committee meets every three months. The
first VHS representative was the (then) President, Brian
Barnett. Peter Comber replaced Brian in about 1993
and was followed by Steven Comber, Simon Watharow
(President) Doug Wintle, Meynies Bornman (President),
Phil Elliott, Kevin Welsh (President) and currently
back to Peter Comber, executive committee member.
The following excerpt is taken from the “Function, Terms of
Reference, Operation and Procedures” document relating to
WPTAC.
“The primary function of members is to offer sound
advice to the Department based on collective experience
and knowledge, and not to represent exclusively
any particular group. However a knowledge of the
business of an interest group may be sought from
members by the committee to assist in its deliberations”.
Take note: the VHS representative is not exclusively
representing/speaking on behalf of only VHS members
but the Victorian reptile keeping community as a whole.
Likewise for the other committee members and their
particular fields. The WPTAC discusses all aspects of
wildlife matters relating to the current regulations and the
act under which they are delivered (Wildlife Act 1975).
Unfortunately a prevailing view point that seems to be held
by many is that the WPTAC is exists only to “..get new stuff
on the schedules.” A small part of the WPTAC certainly
does involve the receiving, reviewing, evaluating and follow
up recommendations for submissions to add new species to,
or move around existing species in, the various scheduled
listings of wildlife in Victoria. It is certainly recognised that
the main interest held by my most private reptile keepers is in
this regard. Currently a number of submissions are ‘in hand’;
of a recent 49 submissions that were received by WaGLS
(birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians combined), the
WPTAC has evaluated and supported 38 (individual member
reviews), an upcoming meeting has been calendared to
discuss the remaining 11 and provide further information
if required. Once a submission has been supported by the
WPTAC it still needs to be approved and acted upon by
DSE and then (currently, at least) passed through parliament.
Pygmy Python Antaresia perthensis hatchling
12
Further updates on WPTAC recommendations and DSE
decisions will be provided in upcoming issues of Odatria.
Further items discussed/notifications provided are as follows:
-
New payment/renewal notices are being used for
licence renewals, facilitating the renewal process
with payment options available via the phone, post and internet. Payment in person is no longer possible.
-
Notice was given in respect to the future utilisation
of the Licence Referencing Committee (LRC), a
body made up of senior management staff from
various branches of DSE (inc. licencing, policy,
enforcement, wildlife management). The LRC has
been around for some time but in the past has only
had new applications (for licences) referred to it. It
is basically a review body that is consulted if refusal
of an application is a possibility. Final decision
always rests with the Secretary (or appointed
delegate thereof). The LRC is now expected to
be consulted in respect to major breaches and/or
convictions involving wildlife, in the past licence
cancellations and non-renewals have usually been
left up to the courts. Repeat offenders who do not
furnish returns may be referred to the LRC, DSE
wishes to remind that the keeping native wildlife is
a privilege not a right, this privilege can be refused/
removed. Any action to be taken as a result of the
LRC recommendations will result in the person
being notified in writing with the right of reply.
Woma Aspidites ramsayi
-
One agenda item covered the use/application of
microchips in wildlife. The technical wording of
the act is written in such a way that it does make
it an offence to mark wildlife (microchips and
bird legbands included). The act, written in 1975,
could not foresee today’s current situation and DSE
agrees that the spirit of the act was/is not such that it
intends to make these acts an offence. As such, if a
veterinarian applies the microchips, no action will be
taken against people holding wildlife marked in said
manner. All microchips need to be of the nationally
recognised standard (i.e. Trovan or Destron).
-
All positions/chairs in the WPTAC are up for reappointment (every three years). The current reptile
keepers representative, Peter Comber, is up for reappointment and any other persons interested need
to make their intentions known by 13 November,
2008, in writing to: [email protected]. Further
information will be provided to interested parties.
Pygmy Python Antaresia perthensis
-
DSE WAGLS is currently awaiting legal advice in
respect to interpretation of parts of the act regarding
the regulatory review process, the outcome of this
hopefully being that Regulatory Impact Statements
will not need to be made, therefore streamlining
the whole process for changes to the regulations
(and significantly reducing the time factor).
Rough-scaled Python Morelia carinata
Peter Comber
13
Children and the Scaley Ones
by Kerrie Alexander
Kids & reptiles! Can they mix and should they mix?
Examples of rules for children when handling
reptiles are as follows:
In my opinion yes and sometimes no. In this article
I will express some ideas and tips on how to keep
the harmony with our pets and children and also
perhaps when we should draw the line.
* Only touch the back, tail or tummy, as they do
not like to be touched on the face. (If asked why?
we simply ask if they liked being touched all over
the face by a stranger, no is usually the answer.)
Facing the animal with its tail towards people is
the best way to solve this.
In my experience with demonstrating reptiles to
children I have found 80% are keen to touch and are
waiting with lots of questions. This is, of course a
fantastic learning experience, but like most things
children need some guidance. They need to be
shown how to treat and hold the animals in order
to understand how these little creatures work.
* Make sure you support the animals’ legs when
holding and do not squeeze, just let them sit or
slide through your hands.
Usually the children are set some basic rules.
These rules are easy for them to understand and
are always said in a positive way.
* Never poke the animal or do anything that you
yourself wouldn’t like.
* Make sure you wash your hands after touching
the reptiles.
There is always the other 20% of children who
don’t feel comfortable holding or touching the
animals - they prefer to just look and this is fine.
These children can still learn a lot and sometimes
they just need a bit more time to watch you hold
the animal and understand them before they feel
comfortable. I actually prefer this as I know
that they will respect the animal and have some
understanding of it. This is better than the children
diving in and maybe hurting the animal because
they have not listened.
14
My daughter, Chloe, 5yrs, has shown a fantastic
interest and respect for reptiles. We have been
lucky that she keeps a safe distance and obeys our
rules when dealing with venomous snakes and their
removal. Such a thing cannot be expected by every
child and each needs to be assessed individually
if they are to come close to these animals. I do
not promote or encourage venomous snakes and
children to mix.
Reptiles can be a fun and exciting experience for
children and encourage responsibility along with
a greater understanding of our native animals and
how they live.
The best first reptiles or invertebrates for children
are:
Blue tongue lizards
Shingle back Skinks
Bearded dragons
Long neck Turtles
Children’s Python or equivalent
Green Tree Frogs
Stick insects
There are times when lines are drawn and strict
rules need to be in place. Examples of this include
instances when venomous snakes or larger, more
dangerous animals such as goannas are being
shown. Of course when demonstrating venomous
snakes and some larger goannas, the animals
should only be touched by or come close to the
demonstrator.
These animals can be obtained through your local
breeder or pet store. No animal should be taken
from the wild.
When keeping venomous snakes privately they
should always be housed in a locked enclosure,
off the ground and out of the child’s reach. One
effective system used by many keepers to clearly
identify potentially dangerous animals is the
colour system. A sticker or coloured piece of
paper is placed on every enclosure that contains
an animal. Dangerous animals are identified by a
red sticker, while harmless animals have blue or
green. Red, even to the smallest child is associated
with hot, stop, dangerous etc and therefore clearly
identifies the animals children should never try to
touch. Blue or green are associated with calming,
go, cold etc. and children can therefore recognise
harmless animals.
15
KEEPING AND BREEDING THE COASTAL TAIPAN
OXYURANUS SCUTELLATUS
by Brian Barnett
Originally published in Thylacinus in 1986. Reprinted in Monitor Vol10 Issue 2/3 1999
INTRODUCTION
Female 7. Born Oct. 1980 from female 3 & male 2.
The Taipan is one of Australia’s largest venomous and
most dangerous snakes, occurring widely in northern
Australia with an endemic sub-species in New Guinea
(Cogger, 1983). In recent years its popularity in reptile
collections has increased. Here in Victoria, we are more
fortunate than some of our interstate counterparts in
that private keepers are allowed to legally keep these
reptiles.
Female 8. Born Dec. 1981 from female 5 & male 1.
Female 9. Born Dec. 1981 from female 5 & male 1.
Male 1. Born Feb. 1978 from female 2 & male 2.
Male 2. Collected from the Cairns region, north
Queensland, 1977.
The adult snakes are housed individually in cages
designed to maximise the use of the space available in
a confined area. The design allows other cages to be
placed on top and also offers a degree of safety without
the normal top or front opening door or lid. The hinged
lid is set at an angle of 45 deg. reducing the area of the
front and top but resulting in a module with easy and
safe access. See Figure 1 in Barnett (1978).
Captives are alert and by snake standards appear
to be highly intelligent. This paper has been written
in response to repeated questions by colleagues in
relation to my previous successes in breeding the
species.
The floor area of each individual unit measures 60cm
x 75cm, the height at the back is 90cm and the front
height is 60cm. A viewing window, 20cm x 15cm, is
fitted into the particle board lid.
Juvenile Coastal Taipan
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Eight females and two males contributed to the breeding
results of this paper, and throughout the tables are
numbered for cross reference. An additional female
(No. 9) was used to obtain the results in the section
relating to growth rates.
Each new born clutch is housed in a series of three
top opening cages each measuring 60cm x 48cm floor
area x 46cm in height. A viewing window, 36cm x 18cm,
is fitted into the lid.
Female 1. Collected from the wild as a gravid
specimen, Rockhampton, Queensland, 1972.
Female 2. Collected from the Cairns region, north
Queensland, 1977.
Pre-washed fine aquarium gravel is used as the ground
cover and regularly topped up as the soiled areas are
scooped out. A rock of suitable size is also placed on
the floor area to be of assistance in sloughing and to
block the hide box entrance whilst cleaning.
Female 3. Collected from the Cairns region, north
Queensland, 1977.
Female 4. Born Feb. 1978 from female 2 & male 2.
A wooden hide box, floor area 45cm x 20cm and 15cm
in height, is supplied in each adult unit. These have
hinged lids. The newborns are supplied with upturned
Female 5. Born Feb. 1978 from female 2 & male 2.
Female 6. Born Oct. 1980 from female 3 & male 2.
16
plastic cereal bowls with a small entrance opening cut
out of the side. In particular with the young, the hide
bowls are constantly used and the young seem far less
nervous than those that were not given hide bowls in
the past.
Similar plastic cereal bowls are used as the drinking
water containers. They are of the stackable type which
fit tightly into each other. One is fixed to the floor of each
unit and the other is placed within this one. It is easily
removed and replaced as fresh water is supplied. The
fixing of one bowl to the floor eliminates any possible
upturning of the second bowl and subsequent spillage.
A plastic vent, 12cm x 7cm, is fitted into the lid or wall
of each unit. No natural light is supplied and each
unit receives daylight hours of lighting by means of
incandescent bulbs (15 watt). However, the reptile
house itself is fitted with 1.2m ‘True-Lites’ throughout
and this provides additional lighting during daylight
hours.
Coastal Taipans mating, note the swollen area on the
female, indicating a swollen, inserted hemipenis
The age of the females at first introduction was varied
but two individuals were first mated at 20 months of
age when their total body length was approximately
2 metres. As the Taipan matures at a much smaller
size than this, 78cm SVL for males and 101cm SVL
for females (Shine & Covacevich, 1983) it should be
possible to breed them at an even earlier age. I have
achieved the maturity sizes documented by Shine &
Covacevich (1983) with several specimens at five to
seven months.
Heating to the adult units was initially supplied by
150 watt Infra-red globes. This was later changed to
a series of three 40 watt blue coloured incandescent
globes in each unit. The blue globes are used to keep
the night time hours in relative darkness when these
lights may be on. The heating lights are controlled by a
thermostat and each unit maintains a temperature of 26
– 28 degrees Celsius. This temperature is maintained
through the year and no seasonal changes are made.
A second mating for the year was recorded for three
individual specimens. The previous matings were all
early in the mating range, months four, five and six,
and the duration between matings was 134, 77 and
93 days. The second matings were all achieved in the
more regulation period of late winter, early spring.
Feeding of the adult snakes is year round and on
average three times per month. Six mice or one rat to a
weight of around 150gm is readily taken per feed. The
newborns and sub adults are fed on a rotation system
and depending on time and food available may be fed
up to three times per week.
EGG-LAYING
The Taipan is a hardy snake in captivity and provided
due respect is given to this extremely alert snake no
unusual problems should be encountered.
The eggs are laid in the hide box 11-14 days following
the pre-laying slough, a feature also observed at the
Melbourne Zoo (Banks, 1983).
No nesting material is provided and the female coils
tightly, creates a shallow depression in the gravel and
commences laying. I have been present for most of the
layings and the majority of eggs have been removed
individually, with a spoon scoop, with the female
showing little concern in this intrusion.
RESULTS - ALSO SEE TABLES (AT END OF THIS
PAPER)
The male is introduced to the female immediately
following the sloughing of the female. In the adult
snakes sloughing occurs six to seven times per year at
intervals of 46-67 days, mean 58 days, giving adequate
opportunities for introductions. Normally, copulation
occurs within hours and continues for up to six hours.
The male is removed following the completion of
copulation.
The snakes have been successfully mated over seven
months of the year from mid autumn, through winter
and into mid spring. No matings have been achieved
during the summer months (table 1(a) and (b).)
although introductions were made. N. Charles records
one mating in early December (Shine & Covacevich,
1983). The most productive period being late August
– early September.
Coastal Taipan Laying Eggs
17
The laying of five individual clutches were recorded for
periods between egg laying. Depending on the size
of the clutch and the number of smaller infertile eggs,
which were deposited at a faster rate, the laying period
ranged from six hours 16 minutes to seven hours 58
minutes. The mean period between individual eggs of
the five clutches was 29.4 minutes (23-37).
32.4mm (29.4 – 34.8), n = 16.
Two clutches, from the one mating, were recorded
from two individual specimens (Table 2), indicating
sperm retention, a phenomenon also recorded by
other herpetologists (Peters, 1972; Banks, 1983). The
inter-clutch periods were 66 and 69 days. The fertility
rates were 44 & 75%. The period from copulation to
oviposition in all but one instance ranged from 61-85
days, mean 69 days (Table 2).
The eggs are incubated in clear top plastic bread
containers using vermiculite as the medium (Barnett,
1981. 100ml of water is added to 150g vermiculite
giving the medium a depth of 3cm in the container. A
fine spray of water is added at a future date if required.
The relative humidity is kept high. The temperature
range during incubation is 29.5 – 32 degrees Celsius.
Mean (fertile) egg weight per clutch at oviposition
32.9gm (24.2 – 36.7), n = 13.
INCUBATION
HATCHING
Pre-hatch measurements and weights (1-2 days
before slitting) were taken of six clutches and although
minimal, all but one clutch registered weight loss. The
clutch with the weight gain averaged 0.4g/egg. Weight
losses per clutch varied from 1.4-5.0g/egg. Lengths
varied from a gain of 0.5mm to a loss of 0.6mm/egg.
The diameter varied from a gain of 0.7mm to a loss of
0.5mm/egg.
Coastal Taipans mating
Clutch No. 19 was laid 155 days following the only
observed mating. Although a male was present in her
cage for several days up to 82 days prior to her laying,
no indication of attempted mating was observed and
under the conditions that they are kept, the period over
which copulation occurs and my regularity of checking
such introductions, I believe that this laying would be
the result of sperm retention from the earlier observed
mating. The female had not been bred previously and
had shown no signs of being gravid in the expected
period from the observed mating. It did not come up
for its pre-laying slough anywhere near the time that
it would have been expected in the range after the
observed mating. It also laid well outside the range of all
other clutches (February) and in normal circumstances
this would be the result of a summer mating, the period
in which I have not recorded any matings or the males
having shown any interest in the females.
Coastal Taipan hatching
Five completed clutches were not incubated.
Several were not required whilst others were used
to photograph and collect embryos at varying
stages and experimenting with the open egg in a
humicrib (Barnett, 1980).
The incubation periods ranged from 62-71 days
(n=15), mean 67. The percentage of eggs hatching
from those placed under incubation ranged from
67-100% - mean 94% (n=15).
The following data on eggs of Oxyuranus scutellatus
has been determined from Table 3.
Mean clutch size: 14 eggs (9-20).
Upon slitting the eggs the young snakes usually
emerge within 1-2 days. The young were weighed and
measured at birth and all clutches are summarized
in Table 4. Clutch #8 was the exception in size and
weight and several of the very low weight range in
the other clutches were found to have encountered
restrictions on food supply with in the egg. The tail
The fertility rate was 78% (40-100).
Mean (fertile) egg length per clutch at oviposition:
56.4mm (47.6 – 65.8), n = 16.
Mean (fertile) egg diameter per clutch at oviposition:
18
measurements of the young averaged out to 15%
of the total body lengths.
undersized young but generally only for a short period.
GROWTH
REARING OF YOUNG
Growth can be extremely rapid and it was quite common
for my specimens to exceed 1.7 metres (total) at 12
months of age and 2.1m at 24 months of age.
Each clutch of young is housed in a series of three
cages as described in ‘Materials and Methods’. The
middle cage is only used for feeding and the snakes
are offered food individually. As one snake is moved
from one cage, is fed in the middle cage and is then
moved onto the other end cage. This is repeated until
all the young have been fed and the next feed is a
transfer back to the other end. Stubborn feeders can
be left in the feed section overnight. I have found this
rotation system to be very effective with raising young
and can save valuable time whilst maintaining a large
collection.
The following tables relate to the growth of one individual
over a three year period. All food was weighed before
it was offered as a feed. The snake was measured
at regular periods over the first 14 months and less
regularly over the latter period. The snake was starved
for a short period before weighing to ensure accurate
body weights. The number of sloughs and the period
between them were also recorded.
The young Taipans prefer moving prey and many
have been reluctant to accept day old mice whilst
readily accepting pre-weaner mice. The average sized
hatchling Taipan is quite capable of eating a mouse up
to 10gm in weight. Unlike the snap and release action
of the adult snakes, the young attain a firm grip on the
mice. This action may continue for a month or so when
it changes to the snap and release method.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Keith Day ‘introduced’ me to the Taipan many years
ago when I lived in Queensland. Roy Pails of Ballarat
loaned me one of the breeding males when requested.
Chris Banks of the Royal Melbourne Zoo gave advice
when asked. Bruce and Keiron Howlett retyped the
manuscript at short notice. I particularly thank my
family Lani, Brett and Ty who have given up so much to
allow me to pursue my interests in herpetology to such
a degree.
With few exceptions, the young snakes have been
exceptionally good feeders once offered the larger
mice. Force feeding had to be applied to the occasional
Table 1a. Times of male matings resulting in fertile eggs.
JAN
FEB
MAR
Male # 1
Male # 2
APR
1
MAY
1
1
JUN
1
1
JUL
1
AUG
4
SEP
4
2
OCT
AUG
SEP
2
OCT
1
2
2
NOV
DEC
NOV
DEC
1
Table 1b. Times of female matings resulting in fertile eggs.
JAN
Female #2
Female #3
Female #4
Female #5
Female #6
Female #7
Female #8
FEB
MAR
APR
1
MAY
JUN
1
1
JUL
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
19
Table 2. Reproductive periods for Oxyuranus scutellatus .
Number
Female
No.
Male No.
Month
Mated
Pre-laying
Slough (days)
Month
Laid
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
1
2
2
3
3
3
3
4
4
4
4
5
5
5
5
6
6
6
7
8
n/a
2
2
2
2
2
**
1
1
**
1
2
1
1
1
1
2
1
1
1
n/a
9
9
10
6
5
**
9
8
**
9
4
8#
5
8#
7
6
9#
9
8
n/a
n/r
n/r
n/r
n/r
n/r
n/r
n/r
n/r
13
11
12
12
13
13
13
14
11
14
14
10
12
11
12
8
7
9
12
10
12
12
6
10
8
10
10
8
11
2
10
n/a – Not available.
n/r – Not recorded.
* - Eggs not incubated.
Copulation
to Laying
(days)
n/a
n/r
73
69
72
71
66
79
66
69
68
74
61
67
68
85
64
62
155***
65
Month
Born
*
2
*
*
10
9
12
2
*
*
*
9
12
10
12
12
10
1
5
12
Incubation
Period
(days)
*
65-66
*
*
66-67
65
65
66
*
*
*
64-68
66-68
62-66
65-68
66
68
68-71
68
70
** - The second clutch from the one mating.
# - The second mating for the year.
*** - Explained under 'egg-laying'
Table 3. Reproductive periods for Oxyuranus scutellatus .
Clutch No.
Female
No.
Number
Fertile
Number
Infertile
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
1
2
2
3
3
3
3
4
4
4
4
5
5
5
5
6
6
6
7
8
17
9
14
9
10
9
4
9
10
12
10
15
8
17
16
10
10
12
12
4
2
3
0
0
1
4
5
11
7
4
5
2
6
1
0
1
1
1
5
6
Mean fertile egg Mean fertile egg
length (mm)
diameter (mm)
65.8
64.0
58.3
47.6
56.1
54.9
54.2
57.5
59.0
55.0
56.5
54.4
58.5
51.6
50.6
59.4
20
n/r
(59.7-71.7)
(54.7-69.8)
n/r
(49.0-67.0)
n/r
n/r
(43.2-51.2)
(50.2-62.8)
(51.5-61.1)
(49.4-59.5)
(45.0-66.0)
(46.9-67.0)
(51.4-68.6)
(50.6-64.6)
(46.1-65.1)
(56.1-65.8)
(48.5-58.1)
(46.6-62.5)
(53.4-64.5)
34.8
34.4
32.4
29.4
33.8
31.3
29.7
31.9
32.0
33.4
33.4
32.1
32.3
32.1
34.0
31.2
n/r
(32.1-39.2)
(32.7-34.7)
n/r
(31.0-34.0)
n/r
n/r
(28.0-30.4)
(32.9-35.0)
(29.8-33.0)
(27.9-31.5)
(27.0-34.5)
(29.2-34.0)
(32.9-34.9)
(31.7-34.5)
(30.9-34.3)
(31.0-33.4)
(30.5-33.3)
(31.3-35.7)
(30.6-31.6)
Mean egg
weight (g)
24.2
35.8
31.5
28.1
34.6
36.7
34.5
35.4
32.4
36.2
30.2
33.3
34.9
n/r
n/r
n/r
n/r
n/r
n/r
n/r
(22.0-26.5)
(32.2-39.1)
(27.3-34.0)
(24.0-31.9)
(17.0-39.4)
(27.1-47.2)
(31.4-38.9)
(32.0-39.7)
(24.7-39.2)
(33.6-38.3)
(28.6-31.9)
(29.2-36.4)
(30.0-39.7)
Coastal Taipans mating, note the swollen area
on the female, indicating a swollen, inserted
part of the hemipenis exposed
Juvenile Coastal Taipan
Table 4: Data on hatchling Oxyuranus scutellatus .
Clutch No.
Female
No.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
1
2
2
3
3
3
3
4
4
4
4
5
5
5
5
6
6
6
7
8
No. of
young
Hatched
0
9
**
**
10
9
4
6
**
**
**
13
8
15
16
8
10
12
11
4
Mean hatchling lengths (mm)
Tail
Total
297
364
384
401
392
417
407
373
n/r
n/r
n/r
n/r
(237-330)
n/r
(304-415)
(296-428)
(362-414)
(351-418)
(403-430)
(396-426)
n/r
(330-403)
n/r
n/r
n/r
n/r
56 (43-61)
n/r
62 (25-76)
69 (51-76)
69 (46-73)
70 (62-75)
76 (73-78)
73 (69-78)
n/r
67 (59-72)
353
447
425
453
470
462
494
480
440
SVL
Mean hatchling
weights (g)
490
n/r
n/r
n/r
(280-389)
(380-495)
(329-489)
(347-504)
(427-487)
(413-493)
(481-505)
(468-504)
n/r
(330-403)
n/r
n/r
n/r
n/r
14.4 (8.1-16.2)
24.2 (17.3-27.2)
25.7 (17.3-27.2)
21.3 (9.1-25.91)
23.7 (16.3-26.4)
22.7 (15.3-28.2)
25.8 (21.5-27.3)
22.1 (19.3-23.4)
n/r
24.1 (20.6-26.8)
** These five clutches were not incubated.
Coastal Taipan laying eggs
Coastal Taipan hatching
21
Table 5.
Food intake and weight increase for an Oxyuranus scutellatus from hatching to 36 months of age
Month
Birth
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
Weight
(gms)
35.9
72.5
115.1
162
201
257.4
319.7
379.3
479.8
606.4
817.9
915.9
1002.6
1162.3
1351.6
1502.8
1822
2377
Food - Month
Food -Total (gms)
(gms)
73.6
115.6
138.2
124.5
149.2
205.3
228.1
276
346.7
499.3
306.8
293
456.7
545.4
352.3
254.8
325.5
280.8
380
115.4
441.6
105.5
229.7
64.9
183.9
431.4
59.6
420.1
528.7
346.9
324.7
335.6
757.9
545.7
172.1
215.6
73.6
189.2
327.4
451.9
601.1
806.4
1034.5
1310.5
1657.2
2156.5
2463.3
2756.3
3213.0
3758.4
4110.7
4365.5
4691
4971.8
5351.8
5467.2
5908.8
6014.3
6244.0
6308.9
6492.8
6924.2
6983.8
7403.9
7932.6
8279.5
8604.2
8939.8
9697.7
10243.4
10415.5
10631.1
Weight Gain
(gms)
% Monthly Food to
Bodyweight
36.6
42.6
46.9
39
56.3
62.3
59.6
100.5
126.6
211.5
98
86.7
159.7
189.3
49.7
36.8
33.9
31.3
37.7
30.3
26.1
36.4
36.5
42.3
31.9
29.5
34.9
34.7
151.2 (2 Mths)
24.9
319.2 (7 Mths)
16.9
555.0 (13 Mth)
12.6
Table 6.
Length gain and sloughing data for one Oxyuranus scutellatus from hatching to 36 months of age.
Month
Birth
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
Total Length
(mms)
Monthly Gain
(mms)
489
751
855
970
1094
1178
1260
1330
1420
1532
1653
1720
1789
1860
1998
262
104
115
124
84
82
70
90
112
121
67
69
71
138
2084
86 (2 Mth)
2184
2332
Sloughed
(Date)
Duration Between
Sloughs (days)
16-Dec
8/1, 30/1
21-Feb
20-Mar
14-Apr
16-May
21-Jun
18-Jul
14-Aug
16-Sep
26-Oct
8 after birth
23, 22
22
28
25
32
36
27
27
33
40
8-Dec
17-Jan
21-Feb
28-Mar
43
40
35
35
23-May
56
24-Jul
62
29-Sep
67
7-Dec
19-Jan
69
43
5-Mar
47
2-May
14-Jun
58
43
5-Aug
27-Sep
52
53
20-Nov
54
100 (7 Mth)
148 (13 Mth)
22
LITERATURE CITED
Banks, C.B. 1983. Breeding the Taipan at the Royal
Melbourne Zoo. International Zoo Yearbook. 23.
Barnett, B.F. 1978. Taipan. Newsletter of the Victorian
Herpetological Society, 9:16-20.
Barnett, B.F. 1980. Captive breeding and a novel egg
incubation technique of the Children’s Python (Liasis
childreni). Herpetofauna 11(2):15-18.
Barnett, B.F. 1981 Artificial incubation of snake eggs.
Monitor 1(2):31-39.
Cogger, H.G. 1983 Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia
(Revised Edition) A.H. and A.W. Reed. Sydney.
Peters, U. (1973) Breeding of the Taipan (Oxyuranus
scutellatus) in captivity. Bull. Zoo Man. 4(1):7-9.
Shine, R. and J. Covacevich (1983) Ecology of highly
venomous snakes: the Australian genus Oxyuranus
(Elapidae). Journal of Herpetology, 17:60-69.
The Coastal Taipan Oxyuranus scutellatus is the
largest species from the elapid family of snakes in
Australia. Some texts say it grows to over 300cm.
Worrell (1963), for example, notes, “. . . Length may
exceed ten feet; six feet is average”. However, none
of the many specimens held in museum collections in
Australia exceeds 300 cm.
Reptile keeper Joe Sambono and “Terrence”
The Victorian Herpetological Society would like to
thank the owner of the snake, Joe Sambono (pictured
here with Terrence), the photographer, Simon Fearn
and the Queensland Museum for allowing us to use
material from their site.
Professor Rick Shine, University of Sydney, measured
all the Coastal Taipans in museum collections in the
early 1980s. The largest one, a male, had a snoutvent length of 226 cm. This would have a total length
of about 260 cm. No new extra-large Coastal Taipans
were lodged in Australian museum research collections
untill ‘Terrence’ died.
The taipan is one that was bred by Brian Barnett and
supplied to Joe Sambono.
Terrence was the ‘pet’ of Joe Sambono Jnr, a friend to
herpetologists from the Queensland Museum. Terrence,
with a snout-vent length of 242.5 cm and a total length
of 290 cm, died after seven and a half years in captivity.
He had been raised ‘out of the egg’, by Joe. Joe was very
sad that Terrence had died. However, Joe’s curatorial
friends at the Museum were elated to receive such a
large specimen, when one was needed for the public
display programme. When Terrence died, he weighed
6.2 kg. At 290 cm, he was the largest Coastal Taipan
whose length was measured, not just estimated. The
measurement can be checked by anyone interested,
because the specimen is in the research collection of
the Queensland Museum.
At the Queensland Museum, Terrence was moulded
and cast in a life-like pose for display. The cast, painted
in exquisite detail by museum preparator Alison Hill,
is now a feature of the exhibition, “Wildlife of Cape
York Peninsula”. This can be seen in the Cooktown
Interpretive Centre, overlooking the restored,
historic botanic gardens in Cooktown, north-eastern
Queensland.
23