REPTILE ROOM

NEW Zoology Learning Centre 

A great article, published in Mountain Views Mail on 22 October 2019, outlining some of the exciting details of the new Zoology Learning Centre for Lilydale High School, as part of the Lilydale and Upper Yarra Education Plan. 

Just one of the contemporary teaching and learning opportunities for our students under the Education Plan. 

Brooke Kogelman

Project Manager | Lilydale & Upper Yarra Education Plan

Eggs, Babies and a Returned Snake

We’re excited to announce that our first lot of eggs began hatching shortly after the holidays. First out were the Central Bearded Dragons.  We currently have 10 babies that have hatched and already began feeding with many more to come.

The Zoo Keepers have been busy organising enclosures to house all the newcomers and are doing a great job of recording their data as the hatch out.  While these are hatching out, we have also had more animals laying including, Leaf Tailed Geckos, Chameleon Geckos, Green Pythons, Water Dragons and Common Tree Snakes. Some of the animals were kind enough to lay their eggs, so the students could witness this first hand.

Our frogs have been getting excited about the warmer weather and have been calling regularly, which at times can be deafening. Our White Lipped Tree Frogs spawned early this year and the tadpoles are growing quickly under the watchful eyes of our Aqua Specialist, Cody Stringer and his assistant, Cooper Van Den Brink. 

Further exciting NEWS

Over the holidays, the local police contacted  us, to let us know that they had recovered one of our stolen snakes.  Unfortunately, the other three are still missing, but it was great to get at least one of them back. It was safely returned to us in good condition and is now in quarantine, where it will stay for a couple of months, while we make sure it is happy and healthy, before finally joining the main collection.  

Matthew Moss (Year 11) has done a great job clearing out the old rooms in preparation for upcoming works for the new building which will hopefully kick off shortly.

Our cricket production is in full swing now, just in time to feed all the hungry little hatchlings. Clare Williams, a past student and volunteer, has done a great job getting that up and running and maintaining that on a daily basis.

Over the coming weeks we are expecting a lot more babies to arrive the students are going to be very busy ensuring they are all fed and given all they need to grow up happy and healthy.

Marcus Whitby

Keeper Profile

Emily Barling: Senior Keeper

Age: 16

How long have you been a keeper in the Reptile House?

5 years this year (since Year 7).

Which animals do you enjoy working with the most?

I enjoy working with the pythons the most, as generally they are pretty calm and if they are not, most of them are easy to get them used to handling. They are also the first reptile species I was properly trained to care for in the Reptile House.

What has been one of your most memorable moments in the Reptile House?

One of my more memorable moments, was when myself and another keeper, were checking on some of our shingleback lizards [more commonly known as the stumpy tailed lizard],  and found a new baby that we now have along with it’s sibling.

What do you enjoy about being a keeper in the Reptile House?

I enjoy being able to go into a room of people that share a common interest with me and know, that I am helping teach younger kids about something they may never have thought they would get to learn about. I enjoy the fact that all students we have, come through [either as keepers or just looking around] get to experience the same sense of wonderment I did when I originally joined the room.

What are your aspirations for the future?

In the future, I am hoping to work with animals whether this be as a zookeeper or something more out of the box. I thoroughly enjoy working with all types of animals and this is what I hope, I am able to do in the future.

Which animal is your favourite and why?

Quinn one of our Centralian Carpet Python [also known as Bredli Python], she is my  favourite to work with, as she was the first reptile I got to care for myself and got the amazing opportunity to call myself, keeper of her.  She is the first reptile that I got to know through handling and caring for her and she is such a great snake to look after.

I’ve been working with Quinn for roughly 4 years. She is a fairly easy snake to take care of, like all other large species of pythons, she only eats one rat every fortnight, so feeding isn’t a huge deal. She is generally a calm snake, so general cleaning of her cage and water is usually a quick and simple task as well. Being a larger species of snake when fully grown, a Centralian Carpet Python is fed one large rat once a fortnight, but when they are younger, rat sizes will have to grow as the snake grows bigger. 

Quinn is a great reptile to work with, because of her species, is generally very calm and easily handled. She is a bigger snake, which means she is on the heavier side, but will generally stay in comfortable positions. As she is such a calm snake, it allows me to be able to care for all her needs easily and she is a great snake to be able to use for presentations, or just for getting people used to bigger snakes.

What is your leadership role in the Reptile House?

I am, Co-Senior Keeper with Jayden Clarke.

What do you enjoy about this role?

I enjoy being able to help Mike Swan and Mr Whitby keep an eye on the room and check that everything is running smoothly. I also enjoy getting to interact with all of my fellow keepers and learn a little about how each of the jobs are done [such as learning from the Specialist Keeper, how to care for our baby reptiles].

What do you find challenging about this role? This role is incredibly hands-on and requires a lot of my time, whilst I do not mind dedicating my time in the Reptile House to getting things in order, I do also enjoy the breaks I get to learn something new from one of the many mentors I have access to, or just to work with the reptiles.

Why did you choose to apply for this role?

I chose to apply for this role as I wanted to be able to help keep the room running smoothly. I also saw this as a great learning opportunity which can help my expand my knowledge for the future.

With the new zoology building being built over the coming year what are you looking forward to the most when we moving into that building?

I am definitely looking forward to having all of our technology up and running in order to allow everyone access to exactly what needs to be done.

I am also looking forward to being able to have a larger space which means we will be able to have reptiles from other rooms in the main room, along with any new reptiles that may become part of our ever-expanding collection.

I feel as though this new room allows for so many more learning opportunities for all of us students and I am very excited that I get to be a part of it.

Creature Feature 4 

Centralian Carpet Python

The Centralian Carpet Python (Morelia bredli) is a large snake (2.5m), restricted to a distribution within a 200klm radius of Alice Springs.

It was first recorded in 1870, but it wasn’t until about 100 years later, that it was described as a sub-species (Morelia spilota bredli) of the more widely distributed carpet pythons.

Northern Territory museum worker, Graeme Gow named the species after the noted Australian herpetologist, Joe Bredl.  It is now recognised as a full species (Morelia bredli).

The overall body colouration of reddish-brown, with darker variegations, allows this species to blend well with the natural environment of the ‘Red Centre’. These colours also no doubt inspired, Indigenous Australians with their dot paintings.

The Centralian Carpet Python, occurs in gorges and rocky outcrops, along mostly dry watercourses. It feeds on mammals, birds and reptiles, which it kills by seizing and coiling tightly enough around them, to restrict breathing, resulting in suffocation.

Like all pythons, it is oviparous and non-venomous, but still capable of delivering a bite.

Mike Swann