When one visits the Daintree, most will think of the Estuarine Crocodile, the largest reptile in Australia. But in looking further people will be amazed at the diversity of Reptiles found in and around the Daintree rainforest and mangrove habitats. When walking along the many public walkways and paths take your time and observe the trees, rock outcrops and various other ecosystems.

Little toes around a tree branch and if one moves slowly you may have found a Boyd’s Forest Dragon; this amazing lizard can be found in most rainforest areas. It has brilliant colours and large spines along its back.

A splash in the water may not be a Crocodile, it may just be an Eastern Water Dragon; these large lizards can grow to nearly a metre in length and are excellent swimmers, being able to hold their breath for nearly forty minutes.

The Frill goes up, the hissing may start, what you have found is a Frilled Lizard. He runs on his back legs and hurries up a tree, to avoid the large object taking a photo of him.

There are many species of skinks which can be found scurrying around the leaf litter on the forest floor; they range from the large Major Skink to the very impressive Firetailed Skink.

Sometimes things may not be what they seem to be; a piece of bark may look like a piece of bark, but look closely and it may be the Northern Leaf-tailed Gecko. This lizard is an expert at camouflage so as to avoid predators and to find one is amazing in itself. About 15 species of gecko found it the rainforests of North Queensland.

Snakes, this word sends shivers up the spines of a lot of people and most think of the venomous species, there are four main ones found in the Daintree, the Taipan, the Eastern Brown, the Death Adder and the Red-bellied Black. All of these snakes are dangerous to man and should be avoided at all times. If one does encounter a snake just walk slowly away in the other direction.

Most of the snakes seen in the Rainforest are harmless though some do obtain very large lengths. The Amethystine Python, also commonly called the Scrub Python, can often be seen sun baking in the tree tops. This large python has been know to grow to 6 metres but normally between 3.5 to 4 metres is average length. The Carpet Python also can be found and its colour varies alot, the Jungle Carpet is a very striking colour being black with bright yellow markings. Water Pythons, Spotted Pythons, Slatey Grey Snakes, Freshwater Snakes, Tree Snakes, can also be observed just to name a few.

Slow moving, belly dragging on the ground, tongue flicking in and out; no I am not talking about a person, this reptile could be the Lace Monitor, and the second largest Goanna found in Australia. This fella may look slow but if scared he will run very quickly and normally will scurry up a tree. He is mainly a carrion eater and will clean the forest floor; bird’s eggs and fledglings can also be on his menu. There are a few other species of Monitor found in the Rainforests, Tree Monitors, and Black-tailed Monitors and sometimes the Gould’s Monitor, commonly known as the Race Horse Goanna.

Walking through the Daintree and surrounding area may take longer than one thinks, if you stop look and take your time. Remember enjoy this beautiful habit as our amazing reptiles do.

Credits

Article written by Tony Gordon, curator of Daintree Mangroves Wildlife Sanctuary.