PAPUA NEW GUINEA..SNAKES & LIZARDS

Lizards and snakes are well represented in Papua New Guinea.  There are about 170 species of lizard and 110 species of snakes.  7 species of poisonous and dangerous front-fanged snakes are found mainly in the lowlands of Papua, and they are active day and night. Other families of snakes include pythons.  The back-fanged snakes are tree-dwelling species seeking birds and free frogs for food.  These do have poison glands, but with grooved fangs at the back of their mouths they are relatively harmless.

The largest snakes in Papua New Guinea belong to the python family. Juvenile GREEN TREE PYTHONS may be either golden yellow with a darker pattern or peppered brick-red with a lighter pattern of spots.  (above)  At one metre, individuals change  colour and adopt the bright green of the adult. (above)

The heavy bodied BOELEN'S PYTHON from mid-mountain forests grows to 6 metres ( (nearly 19 foot) and is the heaviest in the snake world.  They are ground living snakes and includes other snakes in their food, devouring snakes almost as long as themselves.

The TREE BOA has a broad flattened head with prominent eye ridges.  Most boas only grow to about 1 metre in length.  The body  scales are strongly keeled and small scales cover their heads. They are harmless snakes varying in ground-colour from yellow-brown to dark brown with a chain of spots frequently forming a zig-zag along the back.

Most dangerous of New Guinea snakes are the fast moving, venomous front-fanged species. Human deaths have been reported in populated southern and south-eastern Papua, & in Australia.

The PAPUAN TAIPAN is a particularly dangerous species  which grows to over 2 metres (nearly 7 foot).  Dark above and pale below, with an orange or reddish stripe running along the back, the Tapian rarely occurs higher than 800 metres.  Before shedding the skin the scale over the eye lifts and the hollow fills with a milky fluid.  At this time the snake is nervous and will strike easily.

Large-eyes and fast, the PAPUAN WHIP SNAKE is a slender ground-dwelling species characteristic of the drier Papuan savannahs.  Its bite is probably not fatal and it is best identified by the orange-brown tail.

Above 800 metres only 2 dangerous snakes are likely to be found - the DEATH ADDER (left) and the Small-eyed Snake.  These range almost as high as 2000 metres.  Both are widespread and much feared.  the Death Adder is distinguished from the similar Ground Boa by its blunt snout, checkered pattern on the face and spine on the tail tip.

The GREEN ANGLEHEAD Lizard grows to 30 cm.  It can change its colour from bright green with bluish on the face, to a dull brown within a few minutes.  It has a small throat pouch. (right) Angleheads are a distinctive group of dragon lizards which spend most of their lives in trees.  They are shy and not often seen as they stay motionless in the canopy or mvoe around the tree-trunk to hide from an intruder.

The WHITE-CHEEKED ANGLEHEAD possesses a distinctive checkerboard pattern on the throat.  It threatens an intruder by extending the remarkable throat pouch and opening the mouth to display a bright yellow interior and yellow tongue.

The EMERALD MONITOR is 1 of 7 known New Guinea monitors (goannas). They are mostly  fast moving and ground dwellers.  The slim Emerald Monitor. though,  spends most of its time in trees.  It occurs throughout lowland rainforests.

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