AWS and Angas Downs rangers undertook late season reptile trapping on Angas Downs IPA in March ’12 in order to better understand species occurrence and abundance throughout the year. Traps consisted of drift nets with combination of pitfall (buckets) and funnel traps. Results were surprising with many of the species caught in November 2011 no longer present, and new species not caught before now showing up in the landscape. New species not caught before on Angas Downs included the narrow banded sand swimmer Eremiascincus fasciolatus, the first live capture of a Yellow-faced Whipsnake Demansia psammophis (juvenile), Canegrass Dragon Diporiphora winneckei and Ctenotus brooksi. Species count for Angas Downs is now: 51 reptile species, 4 amphibians, 99 birds and 10 native mammals (including 1 bat).

Encouragingly, species not seen since 2010 were trapped including Pale Knob-tailed Gecko Nephrurus laevissimus, Desert Banded Snake Simoselaps anomalus and Interior Blind Snake Ramphotyphlops endoterus. Interestingly, no small marsupials or mammals were captured during the period although remote IR photographic capture of Spinifex hopping mice and track evidence show they are still in the landscape. More trapping is planned for October-December 2012.

For previous survey results visit click here and for species checklists click here.