Target Species: Rough-scaled python, Morelia carinata
Location: The Kimberley, Western Australia
Director: David Wright
Location: The Kimberley is a vast, remote region to the west of Kununurra in northern WA and Hunter River is remote by even Kimberley standards.
In 1976 the only python in the world with rough or keeled scales was discovered in a remote uninhabited region of Western Australia known as The Kimberley. Since then only a handful of specimens have been found, all within a tiny area centred around the Hunter River Gorge, and only the previous year that a single pair were collected for a captive breeding project at the Australian Reptile Park. ARP Director, John Weigel, has a permit to collect an additional pair of Rough-scaled pythons for the project, but first he has to find them. Mark O’Shea joins John and his team of experienced field herpetologists and wildlife officers on a 12 day expedition into the hostile wilds of The Kimberley in search of a second pair of elusive ‘rough scales’ but everything is not as John left it when last he visited the Hunter River Gorge.
The Rough-scaled python (Morelia carinata) is so called because every scale on its back bears a central keeled ridge.
| MYOBATRACHIDAE |
SOUTHERN FROGS |
| Limnodynastes convexisculus |
Marbled frog |
| Limnodynastes ornatus |
Ornate burrowing frog |
| HYLIDAE |
TREEFROGS |
| Litoria cavernicola |
Cave-dwelling frog |
| Litoria coplandi |
Copland’s rock frog |
| Litoria meiriana |
Rockhole frog |
| Litoria nasuta |
Rocket frog |
| Litoria rothi |
Roth’s treefrog |
| Litoria rubella |
Desert treefrog |
| Litoria wotjulumensis |
Wotjulum frog |
| CHELIDAE |
SIDE-NECK TURTLES |
| Chelodina rugosa |
Northern snake-necked turtle |
| CROCODYLIDAE |
CROCODILES |
| Crocodylus johnstoni |
Johnson’s freshwater crocodile |
| Crocodylus porosus |
Indo-Pacific estuarine crocodile |
| DIPLODACTYLIDAE |
SOUTHWEST PACIFIC GECKOES |
| Oedura filicipoda |
Fringe-toed velvet gecko |
| Oedura gracilis |
Gracile velvet gecko |
| Oedura obscura |
Slim velvet gecko |
| Oedura rhombifera |
Zigzag velvet gecko |
| Pseudothecadactylus cavaticus |
Kimberley giant cave gecko |
| GEKKONIDAE |
GECKOES |
| Gehyra xenopus |
Crocodile-faced dtella |
| Heteronotia binoei |
Bynoe’s gecko |
| SCINCIDAE |
SKINKS |
| Carlia triacantha |
Desert four-fingered skink |
| Crytopblepharus plagiocephalus |
Callose-palmed snake-eyed skink |
| Ctenotus inornatus |
Bar-shouldered ctenotus |
| Cyclodomorphus megalops megalops |
Western black-eyed slender blue-tongue |
| Glaphyromorphus darwiniensis |
Northern mulch skink |
| Morethia ruficauda ruficauda |
Northern lined firetail skink |
| AGAMIDAE |
DRAGONS |
| Diporiphora bennettii |
Kimberley robust two-lined dragon |
| Diporiphora superba |
Superb two-lined dragon |
| Lophura temporalis |
Twin-striped lashtail dragon |
| VARANIDAE |
MONITOR LIZARDS |
| Varanus acanthurus acanthurus |
Ridge-tailed monitor |
| Varanus glauerti |
Kimberley rock monitor |
| Varanus glebopalma |
Black-palmed monitor |
| Varanus mertensi |
Merten’s water monitor |
| PYTHONIDAE |
PYTHONS |
| Liasis olivaceus olivaceus |
Olive python |
| Morelia carinata |
Rough-scaled python |
| COLUBRIDAE |
TYPICAL SNAKES |
| Boiga fusca ornata |
Ornate northern banded treesnake |
| Dendrelaphis punctulatus |
Common treesnake |
| ELAPIDAE |
COBRAS & THEIR KIN |
| Demansia atra |
Black whipsnake |
