tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29358276657390299012024-03-14T14:05:55.355+10:00The Woma Python StoryFollow the happenings and interactions between elusive woma pythons that are part of a radiotracking project managed by the University of Queensland and Australia Zoo.Lisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02399874735633453459noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2935827665739029901.post-71553781182263257042012-05-27T19:39:00.002+10:002012-05-27T19:39:54.315+10:00Wrapping up<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiqlFPYqgU3JRISyDOb5yyKWPPCwQYPbuqfW5X-q-11sj0tsn1B3J57u8pBx5q1ixcBsNe8yWOBDkulmQYF_t7Fu9dtBhLf0XRbZWrvZaT8pV3Rj3QSuL82K0P1BUWakSwzYUf8TDhyphenhyphenw0P/s1600/DSC_8755.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" qba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiqlFPYqgU3JRISyDOb5yyKWPPCwQYPbuqfW5X-q-11sj0tsn1B3J57u8pBx5q1ixcBsNe8yWOBDkulmQYF_t7Fu9dtBhLf0XRbZWrvZaT8pV3Rj3QSuL82K0P1BUWakSwzYUf8TDhyphenhyphenw0P/s200/DSC_8755.JPG" width="187" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frosty mornings</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">24-5-12:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Things are starting to wrap up here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The weather has cooled significantly in the last month, with our first frost appearing on the 6th May.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The cold nights mean the womas aren’t moving far: it’s too risky – they may be caught outside a warm cosy burrow overnight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This cool weather also means that the radio tracking program is coming to an end. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">With some warmer days last week 5 womas were caught and travelled to Australia Zoo, where expert reptile veterinarians Mel, Peter and Amber will remove their transmitters over the coming days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This group of womas includes the two girls that incubated this year (Winnie & Lola).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both of these gorgeous females are in good health but they have lost about 500g whilst incubating eggs over the summer so they are unlikely to try to breed again this year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuOCYpEI5I_VeDFBZMu85q1G4LEkk1bw-HmtQOABDEgjlYrFF7I7e4iNgT9WW2Tl-jgPMXKqsIoykWwbC2mlO-MaSswZnmkcVYYTglL2X3FN9-ufS2CMJ7KYt4JDXtAYo4jHTQeG_TOU_U/s1600/DSC_5526.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" qba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuOCYpEI5I_VeDFBZMu85q1G4LEkk1bw-HmtQOABDEgjlYrFF7I7e4iNgT9WW2Tl-jgPMXKqsIoykWwbC2mlO-MaSswZnmkcVYYTglL2X3FN9-ufS2CMJ7KYt4JDXtAYo4jHTQeG_TOU_U/s200/DSC_5526.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Woma Katie in a log shelter</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Beautiful big woma Katie is also at Australia Zoo awaiting transmitter removal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This impressive girl has not laid eggs over the last 2 seasons, despite being very large and hanging out with several radiotracked males.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Will she breed this summer?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She’s certainly in good condition!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinMLB1NUQxCBOClwRGL6Qts4jKQ5EuoZI_DZ36FcC8vvZus721pRnHGdUZQD4DsrsqX6IV9C6S4G1KBfyrU_WzPjQYNQePMzdvb2CCIplO75I1X2o5SUsAfXJAaJyVT0yDNZ-jb2H1eRPF/s1600/DSC_8440.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="173" qba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinMLB1NUQxCBOClwRGL6Qts4jKQ5EuoZI_DZ36FcC8vvZus721pRnHGdUZQD4DsrsqX6IV9C6S4G1KBfyrU_WzPjQYNQePMzdvb2CCIplO75I1X2o5SUsAfXJAaJyVT0yDNZ-jb2H1eRPF/s200/DSC_8440.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Handsome woma Romeo</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The boys Romeo and Humphrey make up the last two womas in this first group to have their transmitters removed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Romeo is an exceptionally pretty woma who is famous for eating a bearded dragon 10m high in a tree (see earlier blogs).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Humphrey is a most interesting woma – he was the first one to show us that woma pythons climb trees to attack and eat sleeping bearded dragons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was also the first woma found digging a burrow, and the only woma to move to a completely new area during the radiotracking program.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The young girls Ella and Gaillee have been very elusive over the last fortnight, coming out to bask infrequently; as has the male woma DC.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However we have been lucky enough to find 2 new female womas shacked up with DC for the winter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hopefully the remaining tracked womas will be caught over the coming month so they too can have their transmitters removed.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgniLWhYSmjGFFQy_cUjUVYjVP8pTbwyfLLJHhwVLl30UHKBWkAHC7JzAfI_eOZb295wQbeEOBkXNpVetGhSYnzRHsLfSujUmUQyYF4cSsS6eEWBmPEGU9fJrP_HGGcqqC7wkN2MPMQxqV/s1600/DSC_6773.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" qba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgniLWhYSmjGFFQy_cUjUVYjVP8pTbwyfLLJHhwVLl30UHKBWkAHC7JzAfI_eOZb295wQbeEOBkXNpVetGhSYnzRHsLfSujUmUQyYF4cSsS6eEWBmPEGU9fJrP_HGGcqqC7wkN2MPMQxqV/s200/DSC_6773.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Woma Maxi</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Unfortunately woma Maxi has disappeared.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>During hot weather at the end of April his signal was lost and he could not be located again despite an extensive search.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is a small chance his transmitter battery may have failed but it is also possible that he moved a long way out of his home range before going deep into a burrow where he couldn’t be detected during the search.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">M</span>axi has moved the furthest during the radiotracking program – 2.7km in 60hrs – so it is possible he has given us the slip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTcFTu_Y7sNzIkiwd559_NtljtyD_vNJj36aAPKtdHXkibTvpB5y3V4gKyYau3XS5WvghyphenhyphenzVmGcATR6LmirwoiYgEq7cUvQ1iPSDW4PT3uur4WXu9lCkifcaVx2ycB-PsINc5RqfehuNlZ/s1600/DSC_5245.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="120" qba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTcFTu_Y7sNzIkiwd559_NtljtyD_vNJj36aAPKtdHXkibTvpB5y3V4gKyYau3XS5WvghyphenhyphenzVmGcATR6LmirwoiYgEq7cUvQ1iPSDW4PT3uur4WXu9lCkifcaVx2ycB-PsINc5RqfehuNlZ/s200/DSC_5245.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Woma James with a sand goanna <br />
bulge in his belly</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Finally, woma James was found deceased outside his burrow earlier this month.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was a shock because he was a very large and healthy woma and he had been assessed only 7 weeks earlier and was in very good health.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A field autopsy couldn’t identify an obvious cause of death and it remains a mystery.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjorabdE44l1UTv7QoNFuGxyCUidI-nbJU2LKUStlDLW48SclDA4lBHSqvT3miEXV91_ce3aA_kinepz0RYtFTqNr8anovmBumpobK7Kr7563ArxUcVZ1g4Tq4wVC4Avox06kEbiz81vQ7Y/s1600/DSC_5887.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="113" qba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjorabdE44l1UTv7QoNFuGxyCUidI-nbJU2LKUStlDLW48SclDA4lBHSqvT3miEXV91_ce3aA_kinepz0RYtFTqNr8anovmBumpobK7Kr7563ArxUcVZ1g4Tq4wVC4Avox06kEbiz81vQ7Y/s200/DSC_5887.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yakka skink</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">So with the final stages of the radiotracking program coming to a close I have to say that it has been an amazing journey, with the womas showing us some fascinating behaviours and habits.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who would have thought womas climbed trees to hunt prey?!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And we were surprised to find that they have such a close association with another rarely seen reptile – the yakka skink: both eating them and living in their warm and cosy burrows.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have also been very pleased to find plenty of hatchling, juvenile, subadult, and large adult woma pythons at the field site, confirming that there is a stable population here that is protected and secure for the foreseeable future.</span></div>Lisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02399874735633453459noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2935827665739029901.post-78959417961704668972012-04-26T10:13:00.000+10:002012-04-26T10:13:48.595+10:00Summer - hot and active! <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiXCE_Ay1Pg4xeDjtWtl5KttkNbpByW1t2BOVKyJidfWJjUlVoIbrGeQfMATWksjCADT4U3hFGDFM_-ng7Z-vMFqeKD-tsCIFE_JKXd8N09AwRj07d_JMGYH3i6LFVTarU-225yH6Mwjmx/s1600/Gaillee+with+a+'kicking'+food+bulge.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="105" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiXCE_Ay1Pg4xeDjtWtl5KttkNbpByW1t2BOVKyJidfWJjUlVoIbrGeQfMATWksjCADT4U3hFGDFM_-ng7Z-vMFqeKD-tsCIFE_JKXd8N09AwRj07d_JMGYH3i6LFVTarU-225yH6Mwjmx/s200/Gaillee+with+a+'kicking'+food+bulge.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Woma Gaillee with a food bulge</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">14 April 2012: What an exciting (and busy!) couple of months it has been!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The womas have been very active since the floods, regularly moving over 1km in 55hrs!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Did you know that these womas have one of the largest home ranges of any radiotracked snake?!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As active hunters, they don’t quite fit the usual sit-and-wait python lifestyle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyBaYsZDYS7QXJ5h0RCn4vsIZ1OjnTO-XpsUc_LgQfHLq5jyo1tKnmNJ38CU2j1q35CyxPKzJrceox4g8FScAq21-Q9_oMwl2mYpVsbEb7sjsOCtuyv8GPjFukiAp_WG3WEuCiiJPbtYGU/s1600/Humphrey+with+a+food+bulge.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyBaYsZDYS7QXJ5h0RCn4vsIZ1OjnTO-XpsUc_LgQfHLq5jyo1tKnmNJ38CU2j1q35CyxPKzJrceox4g8FScAq21-Q9_oMwl2mYpVsbEb7sjsOCtuyv8GPjFukiAp_WG3WEuCiiJPbtYGU/s200/Humphrey+with+a+food+bulge.JPG" width="161" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Woma Humphrey with a BIG <br />
food bulge!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">With winter not too far away, there has been a lot of feeding action.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Womas Humphrey and Gaillee have both been sighted with very large, mysterious bulges in their bellies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact Gaillee’s bulge was so fresh that it gave a reflexive ‘kick’ from her stomach when I found her!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS3KQUANLXfmWIOJapTQKlkyOCW6RfMFCWzupKgyaStkF3YjRJ9UN2E4hNX5PeZMbyZcAnWQInAnoIxDK2CYFhEqSaiK6d5ZyR9ag2zzbm9ZAO4L4utW5qDLh7R_JgwvhWdEFoThHi0GnB/s1600/IMGP4762.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS3KQUANLXfmWIOJapTQKlkyOCW6RfMFCWzupKgyaStkF3YjRJ9UN2E4hNX5PeZMbyZcAnWQInAnoIxDK2CYFhEqSaiK6d5ZyR9ag2zzbm9ZAO4L4utW5qDLh7R_JgwvhWdEFoThHi0GnB/s200/IMGP4762.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Woma food - sleeping<br />
bearded dragon</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Bearded dragons seemed to be the preferred food over summer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And on any given warm night there was always a good chance of spotting a woma hunting a sleeping dragon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the last 2 months Maxi, Romeo and Katie have all been found hunting sleeping bearded dragons, bringing the total up to 7 sleeping bearded dragon hunting observations over the last 18 months!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsQOf6rn2AxvRdwV5zMsF8C3H6Vn4J1LNBD6WL6sxtG0EEszfvb87mw3JyVp8HpKl4UNvBmNYqsQafqZwM7Hl6CHX6vS9vwc7nr4oGzbFfnXtQkztjH1qPMJBenB2n8Rk0ac3QTtKht6am/s1600/DSC_6937.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="132" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsQOf6rn2AxvRdwV5zMsF8C3H6Vn4J1LNBD6WL6sxtG0EEszfvb87mw3JyVp8HpKl4UNvBmNYqsQafqZwM7Hl6CHX6vS9vwc7nr4oGzbFfnXtQkztjH1qPMJBenB2n8Rk0ac3QTtKht6am/s200/DSC_6937.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Woma Romeo 10m high, eating a<br />
bearded dragon</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">One particularly warm night both Katie and Romeo were out hunting bearded dragons at the same time!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Katie had her work cut out for her with the beardie sleeping 4m out on a very flimsy branch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But Romeo’s hunting prowess was most impressive!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I found him just before midnight, he was 10m high in a thin tree with the head of a bearded dragon in his mouth!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After watching several womas fall whilst eating bearded dragons, I was quite concerned for him – it was a big drop! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But he was strong enough to hold on for the whole meal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Richie and Jen from the zoo (who were out that night) watched him finish his tucker and slowly descend the tree using typical python ‘concertina’ movements.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am constantly amazed at just how capable the womas are in trees!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdb3aVpns6lroo6SdrnotDveasFh3qouM-rDiyIEP3va5b7iYYVHRTFaPo0nrQ3yUDnaE4MVlvMfn5Rh6zfvhyWwtwDv-28zydt_SMpyeZL60IRZbq1Yp1mBnQdq1FMVFOCmy0lwEjUph7/s1600/DSC_6363+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="138" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdb3aVpns6lroo6SdrnotDveasFh3qouM-rDiyIEP3va5b7iYYVHRTFaPo0nrQ3yUDnaE4MVlvMfn5Rh6zfvhyWwtwDv-28zydt_SMpyeZL60IRZbq1Yp1mBnQdq1FMVFOCmy0lwEjUph7/s200/DSC_6363+(2).JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Woma Gaillee digging/enlargening<br />
a burrow</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Two other exciting woma events have happened in the last 2 months.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Firstly, woma Gaillee was found digging out a burrow!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is only the second time a wild woma has been seen doing this so it’s very exciting!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whilst she didn’t dig anywhere near as much dirt as Humphrey (see earlier blog), Gaillee did show us something very unusual indeed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As she was digging (with her head in the burrow), the last third of her body was jerking around in what I can only describe as ‘excitement’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have seen this only once before, as woma James attacked a sand goanna in a hollow log.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is very different to the slow, deliberate movements of ‘caudal luring’ used by death adders and reported in captive woma pythons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Was she hunting prey in a burrow that was just a little too small for her?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is that why she was digging it out?</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Woma Maxi - invisible under a<br />
carpet of leaf litter. He takes up <br />
this whole image.</td></tr>
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The second exciting event was when I found big woma Maxi curled up under a mat of leaf litter on a cool autumn day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is exciting because in over 1 600 tracking locations during the last 20 months, I have yet to find a woma hidden under leaf litter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact, he had me so confused and was so well hidden that I spent about 5 minutes trying to pinpoint where he was!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why did he decide to use leaf litter as a hiding place, I wonder?</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A very young curl snake (Suta<br />
suta) eating a box-patterned gecko</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The things you find when you are radiotracking can be really interesting!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whilst tracking DC just before dawn one morning, I heard a series of squeaks just 2m from where he was in a burrow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I investigated, I found a very young curl snake had just ambushed a box-patterned gecko from its tiny burrow and was starting to eat it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What a lucky find!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This turned out to be quite a big meal for the tiny (10cm long) snake.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Amazing!</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Woma Maxi eating a <br />
bearded dragon - 5m high</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Unlike last year, none of the womas have paired up yet and I haven’t found any other womas sharing burrows with the radiotracked womas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact the shortest distance between any of the ten womas still being tracked is over 300m.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most of them are still over 1km apart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Will they come back together over winter?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s getting cool fast, but time will tell....</span></div>
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</span>Lisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02399874735633453459noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2935827665739029901.post-56511618069111387782012-02-09T12:37:00.001+10:002012-02-09T12:37:51.839+10:00Floods! <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPmGwrvj7W6dr06g42V5vHBawsuz1HlaqJuZD_xvJ4enQJX1yRe4BKZ1VgeL4PCJMDha-oCYX42-0PzMUoyC9kMn_Y9d0AabASWTjFSD8sMRKBRvfnM-rVCAXuZMZUg-XbUYMa-C1SnvBa/s1600/DSC_6082.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" sda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPmGwrvj7W6dr06g42V5vHBawsuz1HlaqJuZD_xvJ4enQJX1yRe4BKZ1VgeL4PCJMDha-oCYX42-0PzMUoyC9kMn_Y9d0AabASWTjFSD8sMRKBRvfnM-rVCAXuZMZUg-XbUYMa-C1SnvBa/s200/DSC_6082.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The local (usually dry) creek crossing </div>in full flood</td></tr>
</tbody></table><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5ZVk-bqN-yu2Hk_nLuJuBGIP9aAr7B6cB0BdFLkQKTdk2z7EluyuQ6JYgFnUI7t3iuhrIzYXkCqFUagv9zmTMJEJc1EORjzo-Pgwkhhg_xcr35onmeHtJCJSJBVOmbSKdXwC3LEj6ktlj/s1600/IMGP3682.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">7 Feb 2012:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We live in a land of drought and flooding rains.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And nowhere is this more apparent than in the arid and semi-arid parts of southern Queensland.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After many years of drought we have now had three years of </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">record-breaking floods.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I write this, the town of St George is experiencing unprecedented flooding and has been evacuated, and residents of Mitchell and Roma are returning and recovering upstream.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This year the woma study site experienced record rainfall in the catchment leading to very swollen creeks, new wetlands and absolutely saturated woma burrows.</span> <br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmc0_oFgumGie8wqZ7bOzn6a2R6urU0AXIgGDdh9YNg0JMAoB39Ye5w7OWVR2oByv7vH4hDXjKzIF91OUYOpOfeO2sh8VGyOwoI02_dwzjdqipHtQELBiYNFv14jFrfPDlo4aJQmIg-7f8/s1600/IMGP3666.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" sda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmc0_oFgumGie8wqZ7bOzn6a2R6urU0AXIgGDdh9YNg0JMAoB39Ye5w7OWVR2oByv7vH4hDXjKzIF91OUYOpOfeO2sh8VGyOwoI02_dwzjdqipHtQELBiYNFv14jFrfPDlo4aJQmIg-7f8/s200/IMGP3666.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Woma Gaillee's coil at her burrow entry.<br />
Note the water level!</td></tr>
</tbody></table> <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5ZVk-bqN-yu2Hk_nLuJuBGIP9aAr7B6cB0BdFLkQKTdk2z7EluyuQ6JYgFnUI7t3iuhrIzYXkCqFUagv9zmTMJEJc1EORjzo-Pgwkhhg_xcr35onmeHtJCJSJBVOmbSKdXwC3LEj6ktlj/s1600/IMGP3682.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5ZVk-bqN-yu2Hk_nLuJuBGIP9aAr7B6cB0BdFLkQKTdk2z7EluyuQ6JYgFnUI7t3iuhrIzYXkCqFUagv9zmTMJEJc1EORjzo-Pgwkhhg_xcr35onmeHtJCJSJBVOmbSKdXwC3LEj6ktlj/s1600/IMGP3682.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">What does a woma do when his or her burrow is flooded by record rainfall?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most (but not all) of the womas took option 1 – they escaped into a dry hollow log nearby.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However womas Humphrey and James took option 2 – they abandoned shelters all together and hid under fallen stems and in grass clumps.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Woma Gaillee was unique in taking up option 3 - staying coiled up and squashed into the burrow entry (in the water) and leaving her nostrils free so she could breathe every now and then. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Formerly incubating woma Lola had a slight twist on this last option – she stayed stretched out in her burrow, completely submerged, with her head partially above water at the burrow entry so she could breathe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5ZVk-bqN-yu2Hk_nLuJuBGIP9aAr7B6cB0BdFLkQKTdk2z7EluyuQ6JYgFnUI7t3iuhrIzYXkCqFUagv9zmTMJEJc1EORjzo-Pgwkhhg_xcr35onmeHtJCJSJBVOmbSKdXwC3LEj6ktlj/s1600/IMGP3682.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="138" sda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5ZVk-bqN-yu2Hk_nLuJuBGIP9aAr7B6cB0BdFLkQKTdk2z7EluyuQ6JYgFnUI7t3iuhrIzYXkCqFUagv9zmTMJEJc1EORjzo-Pgwkhhg_xcr35onmeHtJCJSJBVOmbSKdXwC3LEj6ktlj/s200/IMGP3682.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Woma Lola at the entry to her flooded<br />
burrow.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Imagine my alarm and concern when I pinpointed Lola's signal 1m down a completely flooded burrow!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was very relieved when I finally spied her little yellow head just back from the entry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She was alive!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But aquatic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I really hope her eggs hatched before the floods.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is well past the 65 day mark since we believe she laid her eggs so here’s hoping that her little ones escaped the eggs and escaped the floods.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m not sure if the yakka skinks living with the womas in all these ground burrows were so lucky though.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hope so.</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwQ35z0SKQAr2Kbx1t5cC6MlpieppTMOYEwHUKA6yWzIB_C-qdE2PsPvi_Yg2zoOvxgwIU8T_TekX_PrdMxwtzmLkBOEFQ30Q5cE9dRGaf1ar22mBWyXovMdeTIu6fU_XCRZ-9jT2vehng/s1600/IMGP3323.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" sda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwQ35z0SKQAr2Kbx1t5cC6MlpieppTMOYEwHUKA6yWzIB_C-qdE2PsPvi_Yg2zoOvxgwIU8T_TekX_PrdMxwtzmLkBOEFQ30Q5cE9dRGaf1ar22mBWyXovMdeTIu6fU_XCRZ-9jT2vehng/s200/IMGP3323.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Woma James eating a sand <br />
goanna outside his log</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-fareast-language: EN-AU; mso-no-proof: yes;">There have been</span> two other exciting events over the past few weeks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Firstly, I was lucky enough to see woma James eat an adult sand goanna!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact I saw the goanna basking in the sun before it tried to retreat into James’ hollow log.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The strange thing is that there were plenty of logs around but the goanna decided it wanted to go into THAT log – bad decision.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>James was so fast!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I didn’t see the strike but I definitely heard it!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The goanna was hardly inside the log before James responded with a bite to the neck and the goanna pulled James (a big woma!) out of the log!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>James managed to throw a few more coils over the goanna once he was free of the log and within 1m he had it wrapped up and was stopping it from breathing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was midday on a hot day so James didn’t mess around – he swallowed the goanna in less than an hour, before retreating back into his log to digest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unlucky goanna, lucky James!</span></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY8FJ1qtPB4cJot89DBnCEAMWyJP4qm_2Pud7jo6Wa9SiWK2QChoj20HzlFm2FkjhRcCJJXAVu5IaNtab-654jtbFpIuZ52q1vGXcsI7aFviLVIa2xXHUdcVP_mZJDvF9MjFqI1qkK_Bt8/s1600/R0023504.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="98" sda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY8FJ1qtPB4cJot89DBnCEAMWyJP4qm_2Pud7jo6Wa9SiWK2QChoj20HzlFm2FkjhRcCJJXAVu5IaNtab-654jtbFpIuZ52q1vGXcsI7aFviLVIa2xXHUdcVP_mZJDvF9MjFqI1qkK_Bt8/s200/R0023504.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Woma Chilli - a rare sighting</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The second exciting happening was that the first woma implanted for this project was caught after 15 months of tracking so he could have his transmitter removed!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Amazingly, despite their incredibly elusive nature, woma Chilli was found on only the fourth day of this project - back in October 2010 – and yet he has been particularly elusive ever since, even for a woma!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact, I’ve only seen Chilli out and about during 5 out of over 200 tracking sessions, so I was very lucky to find him cruising along on a warm night at the end of January.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Chilli has now had his transmitter removed by the vet team at Australia Zoo and he will be cared for there until his wound has healed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is doing very well and we are expecting to release him back into his last known burrow – a hollow log – in another few weeks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are very thankful to Chilli for teaching us so much about womas in the Brigalow Belt!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPmGwrvj7W6dr06g42V5vHBawsuz1HlaqJuZD_xvJ4enQJX1yRe4BKZ1VgeL4PCJMDha-oCYX42-0PzMUoyC9kMn_Y9d0AabASWTjFSD8sMRKBRvfnM-rVCAXuZMZUg-XbUYMa-C1SnvBa/s1600/DSC_6082.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Since the rain stopped, the womas have certainly become active again!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m sure they will provide me with many more stories to tell you in the months to come!</span></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5ZVk-bqN-yu2Hk_nLuJuBGIP9aAr7B6cB0BdFLkQKTdk2z7EluyuQ6JYgFnUI7t3iuhrIzYXkCqFUagv9zmTMJEJc1EORjzo-Pgwkhhg_xcr35onmeHtJCJSJBVOmbSKdXwC3LEj6ktlj/s1600/IMGP3682.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>Lisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02399874735633453459noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2935827665739029901.post-39416170827059274092012-01-14T15:58:00.000+10:002012-01-14T15:58:39.572+10:00Eggs lost :-( <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhivflKNX79ALbNVMhUY2yf_aojVFP8hWECcWaZlF2Fzb9HE_V257B-UzbxFTPBD9HkXhX7pI1r3Tyn6jXdb9E4DVpcex38LWjGyJsqTO2NY7eimAOb_l2r-L7RPzGUBuEK8f580y1Gq2zO/s1600/IMAG0071.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="273" kba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhivflKNX79ALbNVMhUY2yf_aojVFP8hWECcWaZlF2Fzb9HE_V257B-UzbxFTPBD9HkXhX7pI1r3Tyn6jXdb9E4DVpcex38LWjGyJsqTO2NY7eimAOb_l2r-L7RPzGUBuEK8f580y1Gq2zO/s320/IMAG0071.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bell's form Lace Monitor (goanna) raiding a woma burrow</td></tr>
</tbody></table> <div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzhjLMs_E4BHws6pldbo1L-HkXx6TPTDA3O3DHZi7zwB4AF1MpXsv3JyjfBQZtLr9t-cMYVjK682X_X24prYjNWZG0s8bprTg6Gl-rWmzcIoNUN6YMp9zk0WRTzFW5ddkGp1S6f96Ho4fJ/s1600/Ella+up+a+tree%252C+stalking+a+bearded+dragon.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzhjLMs_E4BHws6pldbo1L-HkXx6TPTDA3O3DHZi7zwB4AF1MpXsv3JyjfBQZtLr9t-cMYVjK682X_X24prYjNWZG0s8bprTg6Gl-rWmzcIoNUN6YMp9zk0WRTzFW5ddkGp1S6f96Ho4fJ/s1600/Ella+up+a+tree%252C+stalking+a+bearded+dragon.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCLnH0maxEsen03atyX1TPRoE2DZw8SAkmlkm9jrQTOhGEpBZNHk1UVup_WQLlMW0gyC8aatJMP0XwsPNKOHQd5kUCH8kSZirSQUp9yCJlUKvCiVj_X-QXlyo3rQJBbDRo4evYRzpPl0Ja/s1600/DSC_8107.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">11 Jan 2011:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well it looks like the crystal ball is out of whack – after all our predictions and all the time she spent with the boys, Katie hasn’t produced eggs this year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But we do have womas Lola and Winnie incubating eggs!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That was until today anyway.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As far as we know Lola is still on eggs, but woma Winnie just had her burrow raided by a big adult lace monitor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’re not sure if she was unable to defend the nest (unlikely) or if she abandoned the eggs. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have a few pieces of evidence though – 1. Motion sensor camera images of the goanna digging into the burrow and eating a woma-sized egg, and 2. Winnie moved from her incubating burrow for the first time in months either before or after the goanna raided the burrow.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We are confident Woma Lola is incubating because we sighted her with a distended posterior end in late November (she was so swollen I could see a bulge from her transmitter!) and four days later she was sighted basking again but she was no longer swollen!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So we are fairly confident of her laying date, which was about 60 days ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That means her eggs are pretty much due to hatch any day now!</span></div> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCLnH0maxEsen03atyX1TPRoE2DZw8SAkmlkm9jrQTOhGEpBZNHk1UVup_WQLlMW0gyC8aatJMP0XwsPNKOHQd5kUCH8kSZirSQUp9yCJlUKvCiVj_X-QXlyo3rQJBbDRo4evYRzpPl0Ja/s1600/DSC_8107.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="123" kba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCLnH0maxEsen03atyX1TPRoE2DZw8SAkmlkm9jrQTOhGEpBZNHk1UVup_WQLlMW0gyC8aatJMP0XwsPNKOHQd5kUCH8kSZirSQUp9yCJlUKvCiVj_X-QXlyo3rQJBbDRo4evYRzpPl0Ja/s320/DSC_8107.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Woma Big Bobby, one of several times he crossed a public road</td></tr>
</tbody></table> <div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We have some sad news I’m afraid - unfortunately woma Big Bobby was found dead late last week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was a very old snake – we could tell this by the big knobbly scales around his eyes, his dark colouration, and his big size (>210cm snout-vent length) – and he spent some time being nursed at the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital in winter this year after suffering concerning weight loss.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With care, he returned to his original weight and we were relieved to find that he was able to hunt and eat after being released (see previous blogs).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We felt he would probably survive the summer but unfortunately it was not to be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For the last ten days or so he decided to hang out next to a public road where there was the danger of being hit by a car and very few ground burrows where he could escape the intense summer heat (up to 40<sup>o</sup>C).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are not sure what happened to him but we are blessed that he was able to share his final months with us and help us learn more about woma habitats and habits so we are better equipped to ensure the long term survival of the Brigalow woma python.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzhjLMs_E4BHws6pldbo1L-HkXx6TPTDA3O3DHZi7zwB4AF1MpXsv3JyjfBQZtLr9t-cMYVjK682X_X24prYjNWZG0s8bprTg6Gl-rWmzcIoNUN6YMp9zk0WRTzFW5ddkGp1S6f96Ho4fJ/s1600/Ella+up+a+tree%252C+stalking+a+bearded+dragon.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" kba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzhjLMs_E4BHws6pldbo1L-HkXx6TPTDA3O3DHZi7zwB4AF1MpXsv3JyjfBQZtLr9t-cMYVjK682X_X24prYjNWZG0s8bprTg6Gl-rWmzcIoNUN6YMp9zk0WRTzFW5ddkGp1S6f96Ho4fJ/s320/Ella+up+a+tree%252C+stalking+a+bearded+dragon.JPG" width="297" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Woma Ella 5m up a mulga tree, stalking <br />
a sleeping bearded dragon!<br />
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</tbody></table> <div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">On a brighter note, the tracking has been very eventful of late! We had a very cold and wet December here so the womas slowed down for a while and didn’t get out very much at night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However with the weather warming (and drying) up recently, there have been another two sightings of womas up trees!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first one was woma Ella, who was 5m high in a big old mulga tree, chasing a sleeping bearded dragon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not even an hour later I found Katie descending a small false sandalwood tree!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a very warm night so the dragons were sleeping out on the tree limbs and the womas were making the most of it!</span></div> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs38ZiK7gjh5Y8hlRxH8GvzKL-OS3T3PLMqFCaG17rcpPfy8yjcsn97SF90wBwMNFW08yOlMoFaHCeAuSUD6pnujnhgDKczSLevRCDSVwWejBBU21dsG1BbFe6cNkjm-7dWb3ctc4mfBYW/s1600/IMGP3057.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" kba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs38ZiK7gjh5Y8hlRxH8GvzKL-OS3T3PLMqFCaG17rcpPfy8yjcsn97SF90wBwMNFW08yOlMoFaHCeAuSUD6pnujnhgDKczSLevRCDSVwWejBBU21dsG1BbFe6cNkjm-7dWb3ctc4mfBYW/s320/IMGP3057.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New woma Jade - a lucky find!</td></tr>
</tbody></table> <div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">That same warm night I was lucky enough to stumble across a new woma python.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She is a big, beautiful, calm python (1.85m SVL, 3.3kg) and I found her by sheer luck!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was dark and I was tracking woma Maxi through some thick regrowth mulga when I came to a big pile of logs that had been raked up when the mulga was cleared many years ago for sheep or cattle grazing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This log pile extends for hundreds of metres in either direction and I have to climb over it to get to Maxi in his current position.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I was contemplating the best route I noticed a yellow head poking out of a hollow log in the pile – yep she’d just popped her head out and started to taste the entry for chemical scents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After a little gentle persuasion I managed to extract her from the hollow log and pop her in a bag so I could ID tag and measure her at the quarters before returning her to her home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What a beautiful snake!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Well there certainly is a correlation between warm weather and interesting woma activity!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With summer only half over there is sure to be more interesting news to come.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Stay tuned! </span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCLnH0maxEsen03atyX1TPRoE2DZw8SAkmlkm9jrQTOhGEpBZNHk1UVup_WQLlMW0gyC8aatJMP0XwsPNKOHQd5kUCH8kSZirSQUp9yCJlUKvCiVj_X-QXlyo3rQJBbDRo4evYRzpPl0Ja/s1600/DSC_8107.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a></div>Lisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02399874735633453459noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2935827665739029901.post-52565387821756852852012-01-14T15:36:00.001+10:002012-01-14T15:36:17.845+10:00More woma pythons up trees and digging burrows!<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">27-11-11: Wow, the womas are really moving!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>November has been particularly hot and dry and the womas seem to be making the most of these conditions to feed up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some have been moving over 1.5km in between tracking sessions!</span></div> <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNxXIwmvR23gdANczOHGoRRfUtkfLPFgqa6ABsrwonhlie-vLjSSBaih59x5SEi1xFpqBX4FqAMI6BBSWJffZheWgy7MD5y-HGg5j1ZuRZfHt_3aRkry4CWLUpIf0xHqbr-0ZRLmXFMxFP/s1600/Woma+DC+5m+up+a+smooth+poplar+box+tree.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" kba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNxXIwmvR23gdANczOHGoRRfUtkfLPFgqa6ABsrwonhlie-vLjSSBaih59x5SEi1xFpqBX4FqAMI6BBSWJffZheWgy7MD5y-HGg5j1ZuRZfHt_3aRkry4CWLUpIf0xHqbr-0ZRLmXFMxFP/s320/Woma+DC+5m+up+a+smooth+poplar+box+tree.JPG" width="260" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Woma DC 5m up a poplar box tree!</td></tr>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Last blog I mentioned that we found a woma 3m up a tree.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well now I’ve also found a woma (DC) resting 5m up a smooth and straight poplar box tree!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not only that, the next time I saw him (1 week later) he was up a small false sandalwood shrub stalking a sleeping bearded dragon!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think there’s no doubt now that the womas are taking advantage of the reptiles that sleep out in the tree branches on hot nights.</span></div> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">And it gets better!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Woma Ella (the smallest woma I am tracking) has been eluding me for 6 months but I found her out just the other night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And she was 2m up a dead tree – stalking a medium-sized sand goanna!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Luckily Australia Zoo croc keeper Richie Jackson and USA Matt were helping me track that night and were able to give me a leg up to catch her just before she disappeared into a hollow section of the tree.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I really wanted to watch Ellas attempt to catch and eat the sandy but because I hadn’t seen her since she was released, I really needed to check her stitches and make sure she was ok.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Luckily I did because she needed a quick trip to the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital to fix up a slightly protruding antenna.</span></div> <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs7v9tSen4GWaw-xkvpKDdiFlVBjG_rL-Nt3HikftLXgzQCXK42Jb_CCm6mSFQjFmSAAnxvoKRgwxubk-eLqmy6bpEvEjmxGBK7jLrPSZlmEL7FVQ1gUqu1Qpu9tpEG7Q3_PzjtWf_8uKa/s1600/Woma+Humphrey+digging+or+enlarging+a+burrow.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><img border="0" height="151" kba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs7v9tSen4GWaw-xkvpKDdiFlVBjG_rL-Nt3HikftLXgzQCXK42Jb_CCm6mSFQjFmSAAnxvoKRgwxubk-eLqmy6bpEvEjmxGBK7jLrPSZlmEL7FVQ1gUqu1Qpu9tpEG7Q3_PzjtWf_8uKa/s200/Woma+Humphrey+digging+or+enlarging+a+burrow.JPG" width="200" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Woma Humphrey digging a burrow!</td></tr>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span>There’s still more woma news!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just last week I found new woma Humphrey digging a burrow!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ok, so this isn’t really that unusual for womas – they dig burrows in sand in captivity all the time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But here in the Brigalow Belt, the soil is very cloggy clay and difficult to dig so we were unsure if the womas would show this behaviour.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s great to be able to confirm this activity!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Woma Humphrey is certainly an interesting woma – he was the first to show us that womas climb; the first to demonstrate catching, killing and eating a bearded dragon (and up a tree at that!); the first to demonstrate burrow digging in the Brigalow woma population; and the first to be photographed coiled up inside a ground burrow (see picture).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What’s next for Humphrey...?</span></div> <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsguqb_c6MkhkTWWY0ER9frvQeTxe91RSyACoLUPRuwgcb2RXdCHMtbnAhvilN08C6ikXxXyaMrFXT_r7YDXdfjMSQzxEikIIKdh9bf2b5tDfafc2yU3wRQqJdsxrr7zzcG_Uw9Kn9oL6C/s1600/Woma+Humphrey+1m+down+a+ground+burrow.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><img border="0" height="141" kba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsguqb_c6MkhkTWWY0ER9frvQeTxe91RSyACoLUPRuwgcb2RXdCHMtbnAhvilN08C6ikXxXyaMrFXT_r7YDXdfjMSQzxEikIIKdh9bf2b5tDfafc2yU3wRQqJdsxrr7zzcG_Uw9Kn9oL6C/s200/Woma+Humphrey+1m+down+a+ground+burrow.JPG" width="200" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Woma humphrey coiled up 1m down a<br />
ground burrow system</td></tr>
</tbody></table> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It’s just about egg-laying time for the womas and I’m tracking 3 f<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span>emales that are definitely breeding size and have been with tracked males over the breeding season so it will be interesting to see if they settle for the next few months – womas coil around their eggs to incubate them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact Winnie and Lola have just moved into the same burrow system – a communal nesting site?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Woma Katie (who we are confident will breed this year) is still active but I saw her out the other night and she is very solid!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Woma Gaillee may also lay eggs because she spent a lot of time with woma James earlier this year.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The hot weather has only just begun and the womas have already shown us some very interesting behaviours and movements.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Be sure to stay tuned over the summer – I’m sure there is much more to come!</span></div> <br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs7v9tSen4GWaw-xkvpKDdiFlVBjG_rL-Nt3HikftLXgzQCXK42Jb_CCm6mSFQjFmSAAnxvoKRgwxubk-eLqmy6bpEvEjmxGBK7jLrPSZlmEL7FVQ1gUqu1Qpu9tpEG7Q3_PzjtWf_8uKa/s1600/Woma+Humphrey+digging+or+enlarging+a+burrow.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Lisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02399874735633453459noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2935827665739029901.post-44738237787897264272011-11-10T11:55:00.000+10:002011-11-10T11:55:19.617+10:00It's getting hot!<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"> <br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">It’s hot out here now and the womas have are starting to really move!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The nights have just become warm enough now that the womas can confidently leave their winter ground burrows and be sure they won’t freeze overnight if they don’t find another underground shelter.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"> <div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Katie and James have well and truly split up, although they had a brief moment in the same burrow last week – 10m apart though!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even James and Gaillee have gone their separate ways for spring time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact none of the tracked womas are sharing burrows now – Lola, Winnie, Toby, Romeo and DC, who were all found to be using the same burrow system over a 3 week period have spread out over a 2km x 2km area.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unlike most snakes, womas in captivity do most of their breeding during late summer and early autumn, rather than during spring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So they have no need to be together at this time of the year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5wV_WUpdi2gjXoleog3d1iAtJtcpunbhmqPzIUmJ16lH-uicu0HlyoDzwXUwIhxqEqGSC8-XGZNe4Kd5-V8Api7hC9DN_YBF2VzMIymgpKtN1kbW-bYaBkhuVb6htOUHEiu5lHupHTykG/s1600/IMGP1145.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5wV_WUpdi2gjXoleog3d1iAtJtcpunbhmqPzIUmJ16lH-uicu0HlyoDzwXUwIhxqEqGSC8-XGZNe4Kd5-V8Api7hC9DN_YBF2VzMIymgpKtN1kbW-bYaBkhuVb6htOUHEiu5lHupHTykG/s200/IMGP1145.JPG" width="151" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Big Bobby with a food bulge (he's old<br />
and had some trouble shedding)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><shapetype coordsize="21600,21600" filled="f" id="_x0000_t75" o:preferrelative="t" o:spt="75" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" stroked="f"><stroke joinstyle="miter"></stroke><formulas><f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0"></f><f eqn="sum @0 1 0"></f><f eqn="sum 0 0 @1"></f><f eqn="prod @2 1 2"></f><f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth"></f><f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight"></f><f eqn="sum @0 0 1"></f><f eqn="prod @6 1 2"></f><f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth"></f><f eqn="sum @8 21600 0"></f><f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight"></f><f eqn="sum @10 21600 0"></f></formulas><path gradientshapeok="t" o:connecttype="rect" o:extrusionok="f"></path><lock aspectratio="t" v:ext="edit"></lock></shapetype><shape id="Picture_x0020_2" o:spid="_x0000_s1027" style="height: 180pt; margin-left: 318pt; margin-top: 3.85pt; mso-position-horizontal-relative: text; mso-position-horizontal: absolute; mso-position-vertical-relative: text; mso-position-vertical: absolute; mso-wrap-distance-bottom: 0; mso-wrap-distance-left: 9pt; mso-wrap-distance-right: 9pt; mso-wrap-distance-top: 0; mso-wrap-style: square; position: absolute; visibility: visible; width: 131.25pt; z-index: 2;" type="#_x0000_t75"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><imagedata o:title="IMGP1145" src="file:///C:\Users\Liss\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image001.jpg"></imagedata><wrap type="square"></wrap></span></shape><span style="font-family: Calibri;">So food seems to be what is on the womas minds at this time of year and I’ve been lucky enough to record two feedings already!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first was a big bulge in Big Bobby’s stomach last week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’re not sure what he ate but it was long and not very wide so volunteer Eridani from AWC suggested it might have been a goanna or large skink based on the shape and I agree with her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><shape id="Picture_x0020_1" o:spid="_x0000_s1026" style="height: 174pt; margin-left: 1.5pt; margin-top: 1.8pt; mso-position-horizontal-relative: text; mso-position-horizontal: absolute; mso-position-vertical-relative: text; mso-position-vertical: absolute; mso-wrap-distance-bottom: 0; mso-wrap-distance-left: 9pt; mso-wrap-distance-right: 9pt; mso-wrap-distance-top: 0; mso-wrap-style: square; position: absolute; visibility: visible; width: 131.25pt; z-index: 1;" type="#_x0000_t75"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><imagedata blacklevel="3277f" cropbottom="-37f" gain="1.25" o:title="DSC_2833" src="file:///C:\Users\Liss\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image003.jpg"></imagedata><wrap type="square"></wrap></span></shape><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Eridani and I were really lucky to see the second feeding - woma Humphrey stalked, killed and started eating a bearded dragon that was sleeping 3m up in a false sandalwood (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Eremophila mitchellii</i>) tree!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s right, up a tree!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So much for them being a strictly terrestrial python!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were searching everywhere on the ground for him with no luck – we couldn’t even see any burrow entries where he could have gone underground.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then Eridani made a joke - ‘maybe he’s turned arboreal on us’ - and looked up to find him stalking the bearded dragon!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We couldn’t believe it!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was only 30cm away from the sleeping dragon but it took him at least another 15 mins to cover that last 30cm and attack it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As he struck, Humphrey and the beardie fell off but Humphrey held on with his tail to hang 1m below the branch, where he coiled the beardie up and killed it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The beardie had immediately puffed up with air after it was struck so Humphrey had a big mission ahead of him to devour this very round, very spikey dragon!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact he had only just started eating the head end when he lost his grip and fell 2m to the ground.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then it took him over an hour to swallow his meal – longer than it took Katie to eat the hare!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So it was well after midnight by the time he finished, but he still managed to move 400m away over the next 36hrs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Next time we found him it was early morning and he was basking outside his burrow in the only patch of sunlight available – he had a big dragon to digest!</span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: right; 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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlhyuYs9D5rafpY9SRZNh6VL-37ff00DiOPEhS58achnt6LEobMPAi81wy8YQVoHt-Wwd3LW8co9MCt3P6_zZEcXzeeLqQu6CEhg-PUt0chjhsaJGTnvrhxl1ScITn8aQaaZD6wSo4hIKN/s1600/DSC_2834.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlhyuYs9D5rafpY9SRZNh6VL-37ff00DiOPEhS58achnt6LEobMPAi81wy8YQVoHt-Wwd3LW8co9MCt3P6_zZEcXzeeLqQu6CEhg-PUt0chjhsaJGTnvrhxl1ScITn8aQaaZD6wSo4hIKN/s200/DSC_2834.JPG" width="129" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bearded dragon - Humphry's food</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">All of the womas have now moved away from their winter burrows with some moving around since late September, others moving just this week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The winter burrows provided really good insulation against the winter cold with the snake body temperatures never dropping below 13<sup>o</sup>C despite the outside temperatures regularly dropping below 0<sup>o</sup>C and two mornings that were below -4<sup>o</sup>C!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It seems these burrow systems are really important for the womas to survive the harsh winter conditions out here.</span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">There’s sure to be lots of action over the summer and I will do my best to keep you updated from out here during this busy season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Stay tuned...</span></div></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Lisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02399874735633453459noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2935827665739029901.post-84346398783913456682011-09-15T21:15:00.000+10:002011-09-15T21:15:41.312+10:00Slow start to springIt's been a slow start to Spring with the womas showing little sign of movement. Gaillee had a short and brief foray 60m away before returning to James' burrow (but still 15m away from him!). And Katie is very settled within a 1m x 1m area deep underground - maybe she's getting ready to lay eggs?! With the nights still at <5oC it makes sense for the womas to stay in their warm winter burrows just a little longer.Lisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02399874735633453459noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2935827665739029901.post-90461296049355250432011-08-14T22:58:00.000+10:002011-08-14T22:58:38.087+10:00Winter ChillWell the winter chill has hit over the last two months and the womas have well and truly gone to ground. Katie is tucked up alone in her burrow system. James and Gaillee are still 'together' but keeping about 5m apart. And the other womas are all separated and stationary. However the weather has warmed slightly over the last two weeks so we're looking forward to some woma action hopefully starting over the next month. Stay tuned!Lisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02399874735633453459noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2935827665739029901.post-37015202327801544992011-07-07T12:27:00.002+10:002011-07-26T14:55:37.405+10:00The Katie and James love story<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">THE KATIE AND JAMES LOVE STORY</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This story begins with a lovely surprise!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On January 4<sup>th</sup> 2011 there were huge floods happening in south and western Queensland but luckily I had made it back to my research area one week earlier and I was nowhere near a river!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So this warm Tuesday evening saw me out hunting for reptiles from dusk til 11pm on my farm bike - with hardly any luck at all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The last hour had produced nothing more than a gecko and it was starting to cool down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As an afterthought I decided to check the run out to the bin pit and back and just as I got back to the quarters a long dark shape materialised in front of me...<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As soon as the motorbike light hit it, I saw the most beautiful site!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A woma python!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She sat there calmly - bathed in the headlight - as I stopped (nearly stalled) the bike, took off my helmet, did a little victory dance and song then reached for my camera.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As she wasn’t going anywhere and there were no holes or logs near her, I could take my time and get some great ‘capture shots’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And that’s exactly what I did!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There she was, stretched out in all her glory with my car and living quarters just visible in the background.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Would you believe she was only 20m away from my front door?!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I guessed she was a female straight away from her tail shape and this proved correct.</span></div> <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXFTNUxMYAe_5kL0kColdT4WzP0iyTL-ENMLr1EyWAQcUOCOuTtyjlXuL8R44fpwM3G-JGWCDFiVeGw9NktUWWeK49u_wtlkcgADYTIWvI4mykGJOtRQ5eOQtxYMDVAGkl0706EF4EuKZx/s1600/DSC_3978.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXFTNUxMYAe_5kL0kColdT4WzP0iyTL-ENMLr1EyWAQcUOCOuTtyjlXuL8R44fpwM3G-JGWCDFiVeGw9NktUWWeK49u_wtlkcgADYTIWvI4mykGJOtRQ5eOQtxYMDVAGkl0706EF4EuKZx/s200/DSC_3978.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finding a woma at my front door</td></tr>
</tbody></table> <span style="font-family: Calibri;">After the photo shoot, I bagged her up and set up a reptile enclosure in one of the rooms for her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I couldn’t call Kelsey at Australia Zoo at 11:30pm to tell her the good news so I had to w</span>ait til the next morning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I did send a group email away to all those closest to the project that night though – titled ‘A woma, a woma, a woma’!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I spoke to Kelsey the next morning she was excited too!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She went on to organise an Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital vet to come out and implant a transmitter into this beautiful woma python.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Amber was the lucky vet and Nicole was her vet nurse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Implanting a transmitter into a snake is quite a big affair as you can imagine!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfortunately snakes don’t have legs or tails or feathers etc. for attaching an external transmitter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not only that, they periodically shed their skin, preventing anything from being glued to them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So in 1982 a pair of American researchers (Reinert and Cundall) came up with a method of inserting transmitters and their attached aerials into the bodies of snakes for long-term tracking studies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the intervening 30 years the method has been tweaked and prodded but still follows the same concept set out by these researchers so many years ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So Amber and Nicole arrived with a car-load of vet surgical gear to implant this very healthy 185cm long, 3.5kg woma python.</span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Firstly, all the gear was set out, the transmitter soaked in a sterile solution, and a surgical drape was placed on the 180cm x 120cm sturdy wooden dining table.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yep, I had a woma surgically implanted with a transmitter on my dining room table!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="133" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhODFVSM9J8gn-U3wQ5ID8jV_5DVaCgEe3fIh1HquxtnBF0qFc469Ye08QQ4mDeAy2cj1dgboVtsnws8YX_RO_Xc9Cv5t8ll7cTrUj6YOZC-vqzF5xT85CEhJf_VZZrE5mBtKvL1Nc5E3Nx/s200/DSC_8418.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="200" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital vet Amber <br />
implanting a radio transmitter into a woma python</td></tr>
</tbody></table> <span style="font-family: Calibri;">It was at this time that Katie received her name.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The transmitters have unique numbers and as we pulled the plastic cover off the transmitter to soak it, Amber said ‘why does it have Katie written on it?’ <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It seemed that the 6-digit transmitter number was written in such a way that it looked like it spelled ‘Katie’!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The transmitter number was 157765 – read backwards and upside down in small handwriting and thick pen (and with the first number obscured) I could actually see how Amber got ‘Katie’!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So Katie she was from then on.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Next we weighed Katie in a cloth bag, and then Amber injected an anaesthetic into her tail vein to put her to sleep.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It wasn’t too long before we had her stretched out on the table with a tube down her windpipe for inhaling anaesthetic from a machine, and a doppler monitor to check her heartbeat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Have you ever seen or heard a snake’s heart beat?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s right - you can actually see it when they’re upside down and motionless!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And it sounds very different to a human heartbeat – much slower!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">As Katie was going deeper into anaesthesia, Nicole scrubbed her body where the transmitter would be implanted, and Amber prepped herself for surgery by scrubbing up in the kitchen sink then putting on a big drape, bandanna, surgical mask, and gloves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is it was laying season, Amber palpated Katie’s body to see if she had eggs, but there were none.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was time to start the incision and there was surprisingly little blood!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Within 30 minutes the transmitter had been implanted and stitched to a rib to keep it in place and the 25cm filamentous aerial had been fed just under the skin towards Katie’s head end using a large needle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The muscles and tissues at the implantation site (2/3 of the way down her body) were stitched up and a stitch was placed where the needle had been inserted to feed the aerial through.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A little tissue glue on the stitched wound and Amber was finished!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">As the implant wound was stitched closed, Nicole took Katie off the anaesthetic and gave her 100% oxygen to breathe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We confirmed she was a female through gently probing and then implanted a PIT tag near her butt so we could ID her for years to come; even when this project is finished and the transmitter is removed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It wasn’t long until Katie took a breath for herself and Nicole could remove the breathing tube.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Within another 30mins or so Katie was starting to move around so we put her back in her heated enclosure to let her recover quietly.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4K0yq7Go4UZi17DaddjB-4ReyWRkE-kdGPqEDWcjsjFj1QauJQayLa0oXdE4vvN69mo059iYn_06MPsAsqM_aqSi4VK4H6VEEkWsJop7jyXE7H6ffvNBtejep8Is8ZTVBVt8mnb8kSQnG/s1600/IMG_4752.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Amber and Nicole headed off the next day, only just making it back through Cunningham’s Gap before major floodwater water cut off all access to the coast. They were very lucky to make it home. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was the Monday before the ‘inland tsunami’ hit Toowoomba, Grantham and Murphy’s Creek.</span> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="139" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4K0yq7Go4UZi17DaddjB-4ReyWRkE-kdGPqEDWcjsjFj1QauJQayLa0oXdE4vvN69mo059iYn_06MPsAsqM_aqSi4VK4H6VEEkWsJop7jyXE7H6ffvNBtejep8Is8ZTVBVt8mnb8kSQnG/s200/IMG_4752.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="200" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Releasing Katie by moonlight</td></tr>
</tbody></table> <span style="font-family: Calibri;">With Amber and Nicole safely home, the rain was falling here so the following evening was not suitable for releasing Katie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next night was lovely and warm though so zoo Geoff and I sat outside the quarters watching Katie make her great escape at about 1cm/minute – she was in no hurry!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a beautiful moon and starlit night and we could watch her progress without the aid of a torch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A magical woma release </span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Well she didn’t go far!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Over the next 2 days I tracked her in the buffel grass right next to the old meathouse – within 50m of the quarters - before she moved to a log pile about 100m away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then onto a brief stay in a ground burrow system near a creek down the back before she settled for a while in the extensive ground burrow system 400m away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This system now appears to be her main home.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">For the next 3 months, Katie wandered between the quarters and Danny and Peta’s place (the caretakers) – an area of about 2km<sup>2</sup>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although one moonlit and very warm night I found her at midnight cruising well out of her normal range, but she had returned to her main area within a week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Was she hunting food?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or a mate?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hmmm...I wonder.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I must say that Katie has great taste in property - setting up camp with a lovely view across the creek to Danny and Pete’s house at one stage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another time she set herself up in a burrow on a big dam wall with million-dollar sunset views.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think she has style!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">On the 15<sup>th</sup> March between 10-11:15am I watched Katie catch, kill and eat an adult hare!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I was tracking her, I pinpointed her position to within 10m when suddenly there was a scream and an explosion of movement from that spot!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I looked up in time to see a hare jumping away with Katie attached to its back leg and bouncing along (literally) for 30m!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was loaded up with all my tracking and safety gear so by the time I found them again and uncluttered myself, Katie had the hare in her coils and was killing it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was still some movement from the hare and it was following my movements with its eyes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Eventually Katie killed it and then started eating it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Richie, Amber and Tom from Australia Zoo and the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital were out on holiday so I called them at the quarters using the satellite phone and told them what was happening.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They came straight over to watch the show.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Danny had heard me trying to call them on the radio and checked in to see what was happening.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>5 minutes later Katie had the head of the hare down her throat and was eating with an audience of 5!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, so exciting!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The best thing about this (apart from seeing a woma kill and eat a hare!!) is that it supports our idea that Katie has eaten a lot this past season, to grow large for breeding next season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s hope so!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>An adult hare is a big meal!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP0sjhkFBIwKnM4ZRxJQT7U_5BembT6wIhYDTVpdydCX579RAwQ4QUpzIgWbcpjNWZ6f9AeRTTlNyqIg3un3CzIZZLpOhFBAohNGCpaoScaaeKtfXnWTHW-JgILp7y0m4xQeVh9IYWz0kp/s1600/DSC_5526.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><img border="0" height="133" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP0sjhkFBIwKnM4ZRxJQT7U_5BembT6wIhYDTVpdydCX579RAwQ4QUpzIgWbcpjNWZ6f9AeRTTlNyqIg3un3CzIZZLpOhFBAohNGCpaoScaaeKtfXnWTHW-JgILp7y0m4xQeVh9IYWz0kp/s200/DSC_5526.JPG" width="200" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Katie in a hollow log - one of many sightings early on</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I had plenty of sightings of Katie over the first month but then she seemed to ‘go to ground’...literally.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So when it came time to check her wound and stitches I didn’t actually see her for about two months, except when she ate the hare and I wasn’t going to disturb her then to take out stitches!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Imagine my excitement then on the 18<sup>th</sup> of April when - as I was tracking her - she was basking outside her home burrow!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was loaded up with tracking gear but she was about 2m from any of the burrow entries and hadn’t spotted me yet so I slowly pulled off the receiver and my camera, unshouldered my backpack and made a move to catch her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She spotted me but didn’t go for one of the closest burrow entries, heading instead to one of the outer entries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I got closer she hissed and ‘s’d up at me so I put my leg between her and the burrow entry she was now only cm from disappearing down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She tasted my leg before turning around and trying to quickly escape.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I didn’t want her to disappear into the grass or another burrow entry so I quickly grabbed her midbody and lifted her up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">What she did next really surprised me as she was such a calm snake when we had dealt with her previously.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She sprayed uric (semi-liquid pee) all over my shirt, pants and hands!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then she bit me!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s right! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She launched herself up and bit my shirt next to my shoulder – a bit too close to my face for comfort!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Luckily womas have small mouths and I was wearing a loose shirt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But then she did it again!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All this time I was trying to find her wound site to check her stitches but she was squirming so much it was impossible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It was after the second bite that the penny dropped – this wasn’t Katie!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I couldn’t find the wound site because there wasn’t one!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To be sure, I took this woma over to where I’d left the receiver and sure enough, there were no beeps!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just to be 100% certain, I bagged this woma up and tracked Katie 5m away underground!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was so excited!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not only did I have woma number 7 (yes 7 by then!) but I had 2 big womas in the same burrow system!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Imagine if it was a boy!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Imagine if it was a girl!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That would probably be just as exciting!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJuy7SCCc4iiNSf1UCNF3mpZwFN_2ZYoiJG8agQEVmFQtqXV6qKHHnpqeJpW_-jPGZ0OT4Exn8_gD1H5nSDG1vGDA7CQeNYEUKokPsVRQkxYbvKBQ5n-PggmoJW-P56kI3fy3EWbm5lVOF/s1600/DSC_7562.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><img border="0" height="87" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJuy7SCCc4iiNSf1UCNF3mpZwFN_2ZYoiJG8agQEVmFQtqXV6qKHHnpqeJpW_-jPGZ0OT4Exn8_gD1H5nSDG1vGDA7CQeNYEUKokPsVRQkxYbvKBQ5n-PggmoJW-P56kI3fy3EWbm5lVOF/s320/DSC_7562.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Cranky pants' James - found at Katie's burrow</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span>Well, it turned out ‘cranky pants’ was in fact a big 180cm, 3.5kg male – christened James.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His transmitter implantation was as Australia Zoo had a baby rhinoceros born on the same day I caught James!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So it took a couple of days before Australia Zoo vet Peter was free to drive out here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a special time as my parents were out here for a pre-Easter holiday and they got to see the surgery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>James got his name from being the 7<sup>th</sup> woma implanted - James Bond 007.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>James is also my dad’s name so there was a double meaning there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We released him shortly after being implanted and he went straight down a burrow entry near Katie but headed off in the opposite direction – about 4m from her.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHMQpStktK6E8B63KnvJ9XEbTHQ69cqhqGGZb1ay9omQoa4M7E4p3IYXL4UYZepPhThJuiHFoTSAQQWdUVm8n7s5AdOoYA8PGoSMmKWP5y3Q9Irdj8KxgKpL7R4QBtqJPWqFKdEdBVa3qH/s1600/DSC_7575.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><img border="0" height="171" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHMQpStktK6E8B63KnvJ9XEbTHQ69cqhqGGZb1ay9omQoa4M7E4p3IYXL4UYZepPhThJuiHFoTSAQQWdUVm8n7s5AdOoYA8PGoSMmKWP5y3Q9Irdj8KxgKpL7R4QBtqJPWqFKdEdBVa3qH/s200/DSC_7575.JPG" width="200" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">James disapearing down a burrow entry <br />
after being released</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Calibri;">So now I have a male and a female in the same burrow system and both of reproductive size!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And to make things more exciting, Katie didn’t breed last summer because she lacked eggs in January, when females are known to lay in captivity. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet Katie is a large and very good looking snake, with very few small scars.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So we believe she may have only just reached maturity through growing really rapidly in this last season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It has been a very good year so this is quite feasible!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And that meant that she was now shacked up with James at a time when the womas display mating behaviour in captivity!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I told you it was exciting!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With any luck Katie will be sitting on eggs whilst we track her this coming summer!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The day after releasing James, I was really excited to find James and Katie curled up together in Katie’s home burrow system!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, their signals were strongest within 50cm of each other from ground level anyway, which is a good sign!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were like this the following day as well!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Very exciting!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the next time I tracked them (2 days later) Katie was in the same place, but James had moved to a burrow 255m away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Short and sweet?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was a bit disappointing as I have heard from researcher David Pearson over in WA that womas are often found paired in burrows over the winter so I had hoped James and Katie would stay together but it was not to be.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I tracked again 2 days later (26<sup>th</sup> April) and found Katie at the same burrow system and out basking early in the morning! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This time it was definitely Katie </span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfortunately she saw me before I could move and took off into the burrow system.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>James was on the move when I tracked him just after lunch and he retreated to a burrow about 500m south of Katie before I found him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can tell when the womas are moving as I’m tracking because the signal gets stronger and weaker as they go behind and over logs etc.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The next day I checked James position just after lunch again and he was a further 100m away from Katie in an extensive and deep ground burrow system.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>‘Oh no’ I thought.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>‘This could be where he sets up for the winter!’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hoped not but it was a very deep system and therefore he would be able to escape the cold very well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Katie was still in her home burrow system that afternoon.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">2 days later I did some early morning tracking and at 3:30am Katie was still in her home burrow system.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However James had done something very interesting!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not only had he moved into a burrow system that Katie had used previously (about 400m away from her current position), but he was in the exact same position that she had been when she was using that burrow system!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Interesting...is he following her home?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Now things get really interesting!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Two mornings later I tracked the womas early again and Katie was in the burrow system that James had just been in but James was in the burrow system that Katie had just been in!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had to double, triple, and quadruple check the frequencies but there is no doubt I had it the right way!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So has James returned from a hunting/loving foray to find Katie has gone out looking for him??<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The plot thickens.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will update you on the progress of this ‘Romeo and Juliet’ pair as time goes on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Stay tuned!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Well two days later it was showery and Katie and James were still in the same burrows as previously, although this isn’t surprising seeing as it’s getting quite cool now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Will they find each other again before winter?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3hQWYIyfrWD_iKHP7ZKDPsAimhqgudw6PZkBvwQlSaolKr_5umhv6VV8CGUjQYXYbQgoVqjVjjIoHFA0OYYbunpMCbOuu4lAIyxDmxoqd5E84XFkoACnGqHwAkxR7DC5rK6a_a-IOPM_3/s1600/DSC_6708.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><img border="0" height="133" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3hQWYIyfrWD_iKHP7ZKDPsAimhqgudw6PZkBvwQlSaolKr_5umhv6VV8CGUjQYXYbQgoVqjVjjIoHFA0OYYbunpMCbOuu4lAIyxDmxoqd5E84XFkoACnGqHwAkxR7DC5rK6a_a-IOPM_3/s200/DSC_6708.JPG" width="200" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Big Bobby! 210cm long and very handsome</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Unfortunately it seems that Katie and James have split up for now - it’s been over a week since they were together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But it’ starting to get juicier...with a love triangle!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Big Bobby, the biggest male python at 210cm long has just returned to the area and this morning he was in the burrow Katie had just left!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Missed her by a whisker...or did he?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s every chance he may have found her before she left to move a little closer to James.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The plot thickens...</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It’s been another week and Big Bobby spent most of that time in Katie’s former burrow, Katie stayed in her new burrow and James stayed away in his favourite burrow as well (not far from Katie’s home burrow).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, this morning (16 May) Big Bobby had moved closer to Katie!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She’s still in the same place but Big Bobby was down in a burrow system only 150m from her!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s been warmer the last couple of days so chances are he could be following her scent trail!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s hope so.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>James is still hanging out 400m away – does he have another girl with him there?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Well Big Bobby and Katie both moved a little away from their burrows and a little closer to each other last time I tracked them - Oh, the anticipation!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">They’re together!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On 22 May I started to track Katie but decided to check Big Bobby’s position on the way to her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He sounded like he was in the same direction but I still wasn’t sure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I decided to stay on him and track him first.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I found him he was out basking in full sun!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was a burrow entry only 30cm from his head and as I sneaked around to get a good look at him I saw a brighter orange head poke out of the burrow in front of him!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yep, another woma!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As soon as I moved to get a better look (I was behind shrubs) this woma got a fright and ducked straight back into the ground and disappeared.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Oh no!” I thought.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“I’ve just missed another woma.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then I realised that it just might be Katie!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I raced back over and punched Katie’s frequency into the receiver.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“BEEP, BEEP, BEEP.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was very loud!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I pinpointed the source and yes it was Katie and she had ducked 1m back into the burrow!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So Big Bobby has finally caught up with her and hopefully they are making some lovely little baby womas right now!</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Late last night (24 May) Big Bobby and Katie were curled up in the exact same spot in their burrow system.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How exciting!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Things are looking very promising for Katie to lay eggs this year!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But who will be the dad – James, Big Bobby, or both?!</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqinYLAs75JdB4axGe-QHXfte0Cmfe-74g8qQ6saAmr3jQ8McuvnQFZ95LZE0UdHc1xH40uObY7C4zbkNdX8zaGxOo19ktUM8Bd2G0BfZFzRp3fR11Yhl4G_HJz0mS6wRme2Id4Xq3ESo1/s1600/DSC_8614.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><img border="0" height="155" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqinYLAs75JdB4axGe-QHXfte0Cmfe-74g8qQ6saAmr3jQ8McuvnQFZ95LZE0UdHc1xH40uObY7C4zbkNdX8zaGxOo19ktUM8Bd2G0BfZFzRp3fR11Yhl4G_HJz0mS6wRme2Id4Xq3ESo1/s200/DSC_8614.JPG" width="200" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gaillee - James' new (much smaller) girlfriend!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Wow – another twist!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Today (27<sup>th</sup> May) I found James’ new girlfriend!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I suspected he must have had another girl as he has shown no inclination to move from his current burrow system for the last few weeks, even though Katie has been less than 800m away the whole time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This gorgeous little woma (Gaillee - 135cm SVL) is feisty!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Gaillee and James make a good pair!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Before I caught her, she was coiled up beautifully just outside the burrow system, basking in the afternoon sun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I knew she wasn’t James (he’s a big boy!) so I caught her and brought her straight back to the quarters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After checking her tail shape I was confident she was a girl and I was very happy to confirm this whilst she was being implanted by vet Peter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I caught her she had a big bulge in her belly and 2hrs later when I checked on her she had regurgitated a yakka skink.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s unfortunate that she did this but it does happen sometimes when snakes are caught, no matter how gently.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The good news is that we can confirm woma pythons don’t just live with yakka skinks, they eat them too!</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf9r9dsA5LI1s8iEtnEU3BKEEkNLjX6tldayVxWXYaPC9J76uL_2oCB6MORhUmzLP1jFSB6q4oBBaroCFWuiTs5qN8rjVVLVuCGITM-FHAw3imLVovy8oKHD-ciX0XKi1L5OCWagfyjJ-U/s1600/DSC_7005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><img border="0" height="126" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf9r9dsA5LI1s8iEtnEU3BKEEkNLjX6tldayVxWXYaPC9J76uL_2oCB6MORhUmzLP1jFSB6q4oBBaroCFWuiTs5qN8rjVVLVuCGITM-FHAw3imLVovy8oKHD-ciX0XKi1L5OCWagfyjJ-U/s200/DSC_7005.JPG" width="200" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yakka skink - the species Gaillee <br />
regurgitated</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">31 May 2011:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oh no!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Katie has moved 50m back to an old burrow system and left Big Bobby behind!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s hope that he finds her again soon, though he has been with her during ‘prime mating season’ and he has travelled extensively during this time so he may just be looking forward to a rest now </span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></span><span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1 June 2011:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Good news!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Katie may not be with James or Big Bobby now but she is a whopping 3.6kg!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That means she’s put on 600g since she was implanted in January – let’s hope some of that weight is in developing eggs!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the very least, she is in fantastic breeding condition.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Well it’s now the 25<sup>th</sup> June and the womas all seem to have settled in for the winter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I now have 12 womas that I am tracking – 7 males and 5 females!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>James and Gaillee are coiled up in the same burrow system but separated by about 5m.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Apart from when Gaillee was first released back into the system, they have remained this far apart at each tracking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Katie moved back to the burrow system Big Bobby was in but she was about 10m away from him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m not sure if he knew she was back or not but they were only ‘together’ for one tracking session before he moved away and he has stayed there ever since.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Katie is nice and warm and cosy in her burrow system and she shows no inclination to move.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Big Bobby seems to have settled in a deep system for the winter too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It seems their love affair is over for this year.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"></span>I have some very exciting news as far as the other womas are concerned though.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was very lucky to find male woma DC on the move on the 6<sup>th</sup> March whilst I was racing between pit trapping sites on my motorbike.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I tracked him for 2 ½ months before he lead me to a big male at one of his burrow sites ‘Toby’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A few days later whilst I was releasing Toby, I found another smaller male ‘Romeo’ at the same site!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I had 3 males in the one burrow system – there had to be a female there too!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Over the next fortnight I spent every warm day stalking this particular burrow system to find the girl.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfortunately the boys all dispersed out of the system one week after releasing Romeo but I thought there was still a chance of finding a female there so I kept stalking the site on sunny days.</span></span> </div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik12HyTnw1hvHeQoaS7JOMEQsVzpLZJmKWzLKGfRWWi5asTaODFsPRDpb005tpV-0_ZDrf9nwHxhlRzW0Y9N1MV905azsR2TxlKW8q5Qj27VMgvZ-fgRJFemP5fAECAcOX5KKcUhx8lTMl/s1600/DSCF0149.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><img border="0" height="200" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik12HyTnw1hvHeQoaS7JOMEQsVzpLZJmKWzLKGfRWWi5asTaODFsPRDpb005tpV-0_ZDrf9nwHxhlRzW0Y9N1MV905azsR2TxlKW8q5Qj27VMgvZ-fgRJFemP5fAECAcOX5KKcUhx8lTMl/s200/DSCF0149.JPG" width="162" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lola - one of 2 females found at a very<br />
popular burrow system!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"></span>Well on the 3 June I had some luck – kind of.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I found another woma at the burrow system but I thought it was a boy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Luckily when we implanted him though, he turned out to be a large female - Lola!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And exactly one week later I found another mature female at this burrow system - Winnie!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This gave us our goal quota of 12 womas to track this coming warm season – how exciting!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve also found another male at this very popular woma ground burrow system, but as we had no spare transmitters and excess males, he was only PIT tagged for identification and released an hour later.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So that gives a grand total of 2 mature females and 4 mature males that have sheltered in this one very popular burrow system in less than a month during breeding season – now that’s exciting!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wouldn’t be surprised if I find another woma or two at this system – it certainly seems to be a prime position!</span></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Things are likely to be a little slower over winter as the womas hunker down and avoid the cold.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just a fortnight ago we had a cold snap where it got down to -4.5<sup>o</sup>C one morning and all the pipes froze.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Luckily the womas are deep in their burrow systems though and this seems to give them ample protection from the cold.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Stay tuned </span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Here is a link to an ABC radio interview about the project conducted earlier this year:</span><br />
<img height="66" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4K0yq7Go4UZi17DaddjB-4ReyWRkE-kdGPqEDWcjsjFj1QauJQayLa0oXdE4vvN69mo059iYn_06MPsAsqM_aqSi4VK4H6VEEkWsJop7jyXE7H6ffvNBtejep8Is8ZTVBVt8mnb8kSQnG/s320/IMG_4752.JPG" style="filter: alpha(opacity=30); left: 130px; mozopacity: 0.3; opacity: 0.3; position: absolute; top: 1671px; visibility: hidden;" width="96" /><a href="http://bit.ly/mgJdMJ" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;">http://bit.ly/mgJdMJ</span></a> or<br />
<a href="http://blogs.abc.net.au/queensland/2011/05/tracking-snakes-with-melissa-bruton.html?site=southqld&program=southern_queensland_afternoons">http://blogs.abc.net.au/queensland/2011/05/tracking-snakes-with-melissa-bruton.html?site=southqld&program=southern_queensland_afternoons</a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">And here's a link to a UQ media release on the project:</span><br />
<a href="http://www.gpem.uq.edu.au/?page=156330&pid=143214">http://www.gpem.uq.edu.au/?page=156330&pid=143214</a></div>Lisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02399874735633453459noreply@blogger.com5