Archive for December, 2010

Reptile, Taronga Park Zoo, Sydney

Red-bellied Black Snake, Taronga Park Zoo, Sydney

While I am not an expert on reptiles, this is one species with which I am familiar. The Red-bellied Black Snake is one of the most easily identified of Australia’s snake species. It can be quite aggressive and quite venomous.

I am happy to report that I’ve only ever seen this species on a handful of occasions. Probably the most dramatic was one that slithered over the top of my boot while I was engrossed in bird watching. I’m not sure if my feet touched the ground for several metres as I leapt away in fright. I guess the snake received just as big a fright. It sure shook me up for a few minutes. I prefer to watch snakes in the safety of zoo enclosures, like this one at Taronga Zoo in Sydney.

Lizards, Taronga Park Zoo, Sydney

Reptile, Taronga Park Zoo, Sydney

On our visit to Taronga Zoo in Sydney earlier this year I took a few good shots of various reptiles, including the lizards shown on this page. I am really floundering to identify these wonderful creatures. I wish I knew more about reptiles. If any of my readers can help me I’d be most grateful. Are they Chameleons?

Update: Thanks to one of my readers I can now put a name to these species. The top one is a Common Iguana from America, while the one below is one of the Fijian Iguanas.

Reptile, Taronga Park Zoo, Sydney

Reptiles, Taronga Park Zoo, Sydney

Reptile, Taronga Park Zoo, Sydney

I’m not really into reptiles and so I can’t remember what kind of lizard this one is. It was in the reptile house at Taronga Park Zoo in Sydney. If any of my readers can identify it, I’d be very grateful. This is also a reminder to myself to get hold of a good identification guide to reptiles.