Yakka skink (Egernia rugosa)

The Yakka skink is a large skink (SVL of 20cm) found throughout much of eastern to central Queensland and into northern New South Wales. Found in woodland and rocky areas, it is a rare site throughout its range and is currently listed as ‘vulnerable’ under the EPBC and NCA acts. Like all members of Egernia it is a communal species living in family groups in hollow timber, burrows (often under rocks or logs) and deep rock crevices. It is active during the day as well as early morning and early evening in warmer weather. Yakka’s are generalist omnivorous eaters taking a variety of soft plant materials and fruits and many invertebrates unlucky enough to cross their paths. The average litter size of this skink is 6 and it produces live young. The biggest risks to this species are the reduction of suitable habitat and introduced predators.

Ornamental snake (Denisonia maculata)

The ornamental snake is a medium sized snake (average total length of 50cm) found in central eastern Queensland. It is listed as ‘vulnerable’ under the EPBC and NCA acts. While moderately venomous and capable of inflicting a painful bite it is not generally considered dangerous to humans. It is associated with moist, low-lying areas containing freshwater bodies and/or freshwater drainage systems. This snake is in highest numbers in cracking alluvial soils, sheltering in deep soil cracks during the day. Unsurprisingly considering the habitat type it uses, it preys primarily on frogs. The average litter size in this live bearing snake is 7 and like all Australian snakes young are immediately independent.

I hope I have shed some light on these unique Australian animals. Please post any further question below and I will be happy to answer them for you!

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– 450 mammal species of which 87% are endemic
– 140 species of snake, 2 species of crocodile and 300 species of lizard of which 93% are endemic
– 750 species of birds of which 45% are endemic, and
– 214 species of frog of which 94% are endemic

Australia can boast that it is in fact a world leading biodiversity hotspot with more native fauna species than any other developed nation on the planet! Sadly, it also boasts the fastest mammalian extinction rate as well… Over the past 400 years every third mammalian extinction on earth has been of an Australian species. What has driven this?

The main drivers are;

– Introduced mammals, both predators that prey directly on natives and herbivores that trample and degrade habitat and compete with natives for grass and seed.
– Changed fire regimes due mainly to changes in agricultural practices
– Diseases brought to Australia by introduced fauna of which natives have little resistance
– Habitat reduction through land clearing
– Predation on cane toads

The accumulative effects of these processes create a perfect storm for native wildlife. The complexity of the problem web means there is no one solution, it must be fought on a number of fronts at once. This sounds hard and expensive, why should I care?

Well;

– Nature tourism in australia is worth 23 billion annually
– Native animals have an intrinsic right to exist. This is THEIR country
– Australia has internationally binding commitments to conservation
– High extinction rates indicate environmental decay and the longer this decay is left the harder and more costly it will be to repair
– Native wildlife is complexly linked and neglecting animals you don’t deem as of high importance can have very real consequences for those you do. Often impacts can directly effect humans through the tampering of biological controls allowing the proliferation of pest species
– Miss-management of native assets paints Australia in a very poor light internationally and can impact our economy either directly through sanctions or indirectly through tourism.

Much of Australia’s wildlife is on a knife-edge, now is the time to act… The question is – will we?

The post Extinction in Australia.. Why it matters! appeared first on Keystone Fauna Management.

Farmers are not to keen on this idea for obvious reasons and lobby groups will provide strong opposition. Also, the scientific literature looking at similar scenarios overseas is mixed with the majority  siding with the conclusions of this paper but still a not insignificant number of credible research papers disagreeing. But as Australia’s mammalian extinction rate is high with an approximate loss of 1 in 10 species over the past two centuries something needs to be done.

Wisely, to allay immediate crucifixion by the farming lobbies the research team proposes an on-ground study in a small area to inform the debate. Their proposition is to remove Sturt National Park from the protection of the dingo fence, an area not commonly used by farmers for grazing, and analyze the results on the local fauna assemblages. Although not cheap (estimated at one million AUD per year) the study is only 1/10th the cost of annual maintenance to the dingo fence.

I strongly hope the research project gets the go ahead as the potential benefits to Australian ecosystems is immense if the trial proves successful. To achieve the green light Australians (particularly locals to the study area) need to give their support. This study can benefit both sides of the debate as it will give clear indications either way, either supporting or refuting the proposal, and help to find resolution.

Please do your bit and contact your state and federal politicians and pledge your support for the trial.

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This spilt was done on the basis of scalation, genetic differences and colour patterns.

I attach the scientific paper here which shows excellent examples of the morphological differences of the various subspecies, discusses the differing vegetation communities they inhabit and outlines their distributions.

For me reading this was a bit of an ‘aha’ moment as I, along with many workmates, had often commented on the morphological differences of these geckos from different areas and in different forest / woodland types!

Also, the associated pic is mine, see if you can guess the subspecies

Feel free to comment below

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