Eleven species of reptiles have recently been identified within the habitats of Sydney Olympic Park. These are:
The recent surveys were conducted by volunteers from the Australian Herpetological Society over the 2005-2006 summer, and were supplemented with records of incidental reptile sightings throughout the year. Volunteers spent several Saturdays looking for (and finding) lizards and other reptiles in surprising places around the parklands. Each of the 17 parklands precincts was actively searched for reptiles - in long grass, under logs and rocks, next to wetlands, and in drains. Pit-fall traps were used within the remnant forest of Wanngal Woodland.
Why were the surveys conducted ?
The survey showed that the Park's habitats continues to support many of the reptile species found in previous surveys. Freshwater ponds built as habitats for the Green and Golden Bell Frog are also proving popular with the Eastern Water Skink, and the Eastern Blue-tongue Lizard has moved into new grassland habitats. The Red-bellied Black Snake was recorded in 2005 after not being seen since the mid 1990s. Two reptile species identified in the 1992 survey - the Blind Snake and Wood Gecko - were not found in the 2005 surveys - future surveys will tell whether they still inhabit the Park.
To download the document 'Reptile Survey 2005-2006' and other surveys at Sydney Olympic Park, visit the Environment Reports
Reptile species present within Sydney Olympic Park are described below:
Possibly Australia's best known skink, these large, terrestrial, sun-loving lizards claim many suburban gardens as their own territory. They shelter beneath vegetation, in hollow logs, in woodpiles and under debris. They are a slow moving skink and sometimes mistaken for a Death Adder (Acanthophis antarcticus) snake because they drag their back legs when crawling through vegetation, making them appear snake-like. Blue-Tongued Lizards show strong site fidelity and readily utilise artificial shelter sites.
When harassed, Blue-Tongued Lizards inflate their body while hissing loudly. The mouth is then opened to display its bright blue tongue. They have a cream and dark-grey patterning, and adults reach a maximum of approximately 40cm (snout to tail). They give birth to live young. This species has been observed in most areas of Sydney Olympic Park including Kronos Hill, Brickpit, Newington Woodland, Bicentennial Park and Wentworth Common, either actively foraging for invertebrates during the day or seeking shelter under wooden boards and sheets of tin at night.
A swift, ground-dwelling species that is active by day, this skink is often difficult to see as it is very alert and flees into short, shallow burrows under rubble long before you can approach it. Adults reach a maximum size of about 25cm (snout to tail) and it reproduces by laying eggs (oviparous). This skink has been observed sunning itself in the Brickpit and also in the Newington Woodland area.
An agile, climbing, sun-loving skink that likes to bask on exposed rock faces and tree trunks. It can often be seen in suburbia where it lives on paling fences and brick walls. Adults reach a maximum size of about 7cm (snout-tail) and it reproduces by laying eggs. This skink has been observed in the Newington Woodland where there is a favourable mixture of trees, shrubs and grasses allowing it to forage for insects.
Active, sun-loving skinks that favour basking sites adjacent to creeks, rivers or swamps, particularly where rocks or fallen logs are present. When startled, they can quickly take to the water and may even remain submerged. The Eastern Water skink bears a distinct gold stripe that runs from above the eye over its shoulder. Adults reach a maximum size of about 25cm (snout to tail) and bear live young (viviparous). Their diet comprises invertebrates, smaller skinks and they have even been observed eating baby frogs. The Eastern Water Skink has been observed in the Brickpit amongst rubble and under patches of Pampas Grass; it has also been seen basking on rocks of the gabion walls at Kronos Hill, and on paths throughout Bicentennial Park.
The Delicate Garden Skink is a small, sun-loving skink that shelters and forages for insects among leaf litter, fallen timber, grasses, stones and debris. It is commonly encountered on brick fences of suburban gardens and adults reach a maximum size of about 8cm (snout to tail). The Delicate Garden Skink has a pale stripe, which runs from the shoulder, and its eggs are often laid communally, with females producing 1-4 eggs each time (per clutch). This species has been observed in the Brickpit seeking refuge under sheets of corrugated tin and amongst leaf litter, and basking on the rocks of gabion walls at Kronos Hill.
The Common Garden Skink is especially common in suburban gardens and is similar in ecology and behaviour to the Delicate Garden Skink but distinguished from it by the dark lateral stripe that runs from the eye all the way down the length of the body. Adults reach a maximum length of about 10cm (snout to tail) and females lay 3-5 eggs per clutch in single or communal sites. These sites may be shared with the Delicate Garden Skink and over 130 eggs of both species have been recorded together. This species has been observed basking on rock faces in the brickpit and along the gabion walls of Kronos Hill.
The Bearded Dragon is a large, sun-loving, terrestrial lizard that favours elevated perches such as tree stumps, fence posts or rocks as basking sites, and seeks shelter under debris or vegetation. Adults reach a maximum size of approximately 50cm (snout to tail) and reproduce by laying eggs. Bearded Dragons have a broad diet including invertebrates, small vertebrates, fruits and flowers (including the yellow flower of the Dandelion weed, Taraxacum officinale). This species has been observed foraging next to the road and basking in the Newington Woodland and Wilson Park, perched conspicuously on dead tree trunks and fence posts.
The Eastern long-necked Turtle is a common inhabitant of swamps, freshwater lakes and slow moving rivers. Adults have a shell length of approximately 25cm and reproduce by laying eggs in an excavated hole in the bank of its pond or lake. The most distinguishing feature of this turtle is the length of its neck which is usually at least half as long as the shell. They feed on a variety of aquatic organisms including molluscs, crustaceans, small fishes and tadpoles. This species has been observed in ponds in the Brickpit and Narawang Wetland, and in Lake Belvedere and the Eastern Water Quality Control Pond.
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