Eastern Long-neck turtle
Chelodina longicollis
The Long-neck Turtles live in creeks, rivers, lakes and farm dams in Eastern Australia. They are the most common species and are sometimes called Snake Neck Turtles.
These turtles have very strong jaws and prey mostly on fish, tadpoles, frogs and crayfish. They can move their head quickly and give a nasty bite to anyone or anything that gets too close.
Adults grow from 200 to 250 mm diameter and have long necks about the same length as their body. They are often seen swimming with their heads just above water.
Garden Skink
Lampropholis delicata
The Garden Skink is a small dark brown lizard with a bronze coloured stripe from its shoulder to the base of the tail. They grow up to 150mm long and live on ants, beetles, flies and other small insects.
Skinks are common in the bush although rarely seen because of their small size. They are more commonly seen scurrying around in backyards on walls and fences. If threatened, Skinks will drop their tail that wriggles and caused a distraction long enough for the reptile to escape.
Spotted Lizard
Don't know much about this reptile at the moment.
It is about the same size and build of a Blue-tongue lizard.
Hopefully someone will be able to identify it for me.
Lace Monitor / Goanna
Varanus varius
Lace Monitors or Goannas are one of Australia's largest lizards. They are usually dark grey with cream or yellow scales forming bands and blotches. There are usually black bars across the snout, throat and chin. Monitors are the only lizards that have a forked tongue.
Goannas have strong legs with sharp claws allowing then to quickly climb trees. They are predators and scavengers eating insects, small mammals, lizards, nestling birds, eggs and carrion. After a large meal they are able to go for many weeks without feeding again.
Dragon
This fellow has me stumped at the moment.
It is about 300mm long and looks like a dragon of some sorts.
Hopefully someone will be able to identify it for me.
Macquarie Turtle
Emydura macquarii
Rarely found in backyards, the Macquarie Turtle is sometimes seen crossing roads or in bushland parks and gardens near waterways. In the Southern states they are also known as Murray Turtles.
They feed mostly on molluscs and crustaceans but will also consume carrion. Adults tend to eat a large proportion of vegetable matter such as fruits and water plants.
Adults grow from about 250 to 300 mm shell diameter. Their natural habitat are creeks, rivers and lakes in South Eastern Australia.
Eastern skink
Bassiana duperreyi
Eastern Skinks can be found roaming the forest, under shrubs, alongside footpaths and in gardens.
They continually search for live food, mostly worms, grubs, beetles, and other leaf eating insects including grasshoppers.
Eastern skinks typically grow to about 300 mm overall, are harmless to humans and sometimes kept as pets. Their main enemies are goannas, snakes and Kookaburras.
Blue-tongue Lizard
Tiliqua scincoides
Blue-tongue lizards grow to about 30-40cm long with a cream body covered in brown and black blotches. They have a dark band behind the eyes and are easily recognised by their blue coloured tongue.
Blue-tongues are not very agile and live on the forest floor catching slow-moving prey such as snails, beetles and insects. They often venture into backyards and gardens in search of food and hide in pipes or under tree bark or litter.
Unfortunateley they are easy prey for dogs and cats and rarely live long in suburbia where they get torn to shreads or run over.
Goanna
This also appears to be a Goanna although different to the one at left.
Its head is not a long and it doesn't have the wide bands on the tail.
Hopefully someone will be able to identify it for me or confirm it is just another Goanna.
Crocodile (salt water)
Crocodylus porosus
Salt water Crocodiles are not found around Lake Macquarie or even as far South as NSW. They are native to tropics and need the warmer water to survive.
This one does live nearby though, in the Australian Reptile Park at Somersby in the hinterland of the NSW Central Coast.
It is still only a juvenile, but already has an attitude and an obvious dislike for humans.
