Australia Victoria

By Peter Petersen 

Mertens water monitor (varanus mertensi) grows to about 1 meter in lenght TL and is endemic to Northern Australia. 

 This young Gippsland water dragon (Intellagama lesueurii howittii) grow to around 60-100 cm TL. They eat fruit and insects near the water. They can stay submerged for up to 90 minutes. The photo was taken in Healesville Sanctuary. 

This is a semi adult Gippsland water dragon (Intellagama lesueurii howittii). This photo was taken in Melbourne. They seem to like grapes.

The same semi adult Gippsland water dragon (Intellagama lesueurii howittii) in profile. A very beautiful lizard.

The Jack jumper ant  (Myrmecia pilosula) is venomous and a sting from this small (about 1 cm) ant is very painful.

The endangered Southern bell frog (Ranoidea raniformis) at the Meander river near the town of Deloraine, Tasmania.

A curious Platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) just surfaced in Meander river near the town of Deloraine, Tasmania. 

The Platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) in this lake in Victoria were very shy. When they came to the surface they quickly dissappeared again even if we just made a small sound. 

European Perch (Perca fluviatilis) is an invasive species introduced here around 1861. The Perch is considered a pest as it eats all the small native fish. This photo was taken in the Meander river near the town of Deloraine, Tasmania.

Another invasive species is the Brown Trout (Salmo trutta). This species was introduced from the United Kingdom in 1864. The predator is also foraging on the small native fish. This photo is from Victoria, Australia.

The Tasmanian Native-Hens (Tribonyx mortierii) diet mostly consists of grass shoots and the leaves of low herbs which it grazes during daylight hours. This photo was taken in Craddle mountain in Tasmania.

A Platypus habitat in the central Tasmania. Habitats are very diverse. They seem to be common in both fast flowing rivers and slow moving rivers. Even still water lakes.

This is the only known scorpion species in Tasmania. The Forest scorpion (Cercophonius squama) also known as the wood scorpion.

This is the Little penguin (Eudyptula minor), the smallest penguin species in the world. It grows 30-35 cm tall weighing approx. 1.5 kilos

I found this fully grown weedy seadragon (Phyllopteryx taeniolatus) on less than 1 meters depth in 20 degrees C. This changed my view on this species.