Aussie elapids

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Mattsnake
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Joined: January 14th, 2011, 6:41 pm
Location: Cairns, Australia

Aussie elapids

Post by Mattsnake »

Haven't posted on here much, so thought I'd just throw up a random selection of a few elapids that I've come across whilst out and about over the last couple of years.

Coastal Taipan (Oxyuranus scutellatus) from Lockhart River, Queensland
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Atherton Tablelands, Queensland
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Juvenile Collared Whipsnake (Demansia torquata) from Cairns, Queensland
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Greater Black Whipsnake (Demansia papuensis) from Coen, Queensland
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Blacksoil Whipsnake (Demansia rimicola) from the Diamantina Channels, Queensland
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Tiger Snake (Notechis scutatus) from Lithgow, New South Wales
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Highland Copperheads (Austrelaps ramsayi) from Barrington Tops, New South Wales
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Mulga Snake (Pseudechis australis) from Mareeba, Queensland
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Juvenile Red-bellied Black Snake (Pseudechis porphyriacus) from the Blue Mountains, New South Wales
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Stephen's Banded Snake (Hoplocephalus stephensii) from the Barrington area, New South Wales
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Pale-headed Snake (Hoplocephalus bitorquatus) from Dalby, Queensland
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Broad-headed Snake (Hoplocephalus bungaroides) from Nowra, New South Wales
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Bandy Bandy (Vermicella annulata) from Seal Rocks, New South Wales
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Marsh Snake (Hemiaspis signata) from Jullaten, Queensland
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Red-naped Snake (Furina diadema) from Tenterfield, New South Wales
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Dunmall's Snake (Furina dunmalli) from Miles, Queensland
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Yellow-naped Snake (Furina barnardi) from Mareeba, Queensland
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Brown-headed Snake (Furina tristis) from Cooktown, Queensland
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Northern Dwarf-crowned Snake (Cacophis churchilli) from Ravenshoe, Queensland
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Black-striped Snake (Cryptophis nigrostriatus) from Mareeba, Queensland
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Speckled Brown Snake (Pseudonaja guttata) from Normanton, Queensland
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Western Brown Snake (Pseudonaja mengdeni) from Pannawonnica, Western Australia
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Eastern Brown Snake (Pseudonaja textilis) from Miles, Queensland
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Common Death Adder (Acanthophis antarcticus) from Seal Rocks, New South Wales
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Northern Death Adder (Acanthophis praelongus) from Cairns, Queensland
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Rough-scaled Death Adder (Acanthophis rugosus) from Kakadu NP, Northern Territory
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Pilbara Death Adder (Acanthophis wellsi) from the Pilbara, Western Australia
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Cheers.
speedy
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Joined: May 26th, 2012, 6:44 pm
Location: Brisbane, Australia

Re: Aussie elapids

Post by speedy »

Mediocre at best.
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Hans Breuer (twoton)
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Re: Aussie elapids

Post by Hans Breuer (twoton) »

All very nice, but the second-to-last has a hypnotic quality to it. The texture, the pattern, the composition. Believe it or not, it reminds me of Viktor Vasarely. And no, I'm not stoned.
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Jeroen Speybroeck
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Re: Aussie elapids

Post by Jeroen Speybroeck »

Outstanding!
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chrish
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Re: Aussie elapids

Post by chrish »

Beautiful. The idea of having to corral and photograph those big larger nervous OZ elapids really makes me wonder how you guys do it down there. I can't imagine trying to get in close to that Eastern Brownsnake like that.

That H. bitorquatus with the open mouth is spectacular.
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Hans Breuer (twoton)
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Re: Aussie elapids

Post by Hans Breuer (twoton) »

chrish wrote:Beautiful. The idea of having to corral and photograph those big larger nervous OZ elapids really makes me wonder how you guys do it down there.
Pure attitude and years of training. I've had the pleasure of hosting a few Ozzie herpers in Sarawak and in Taiwan, and their attitudes are usually quite intense. Less well-meaning contemporaries from outside Australia often resort to phrases like "cowboy", "harebrained", and "suicidal", but once you understand hooks or tongs are illegal in Australian national parks, you'll get used to the idea that free-handling those bad puppies is the only way to get any decent photos.
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Martti Niskanen
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Re: Aussie elapids

Post by Martti Niskanen »

Excellent!
MCHerper
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Re: Aussie elapids

Post by MCHerper »

Pick me up at the airport? :D
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krisbell
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Re: Aussie elapids

Post by krisbell »

Great set - particularly love the first tai and copperhead pics, and the d.rimicola shot. Even reading the place names (Cooktown, Lithgow, Pannawonnica, Mareeba etc) makes me seriously nostalgic for Australia.
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justinm
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Re: Aussie elapids

Post by justinm »

You have some amazing pictures of snakes that I would love to see. Do you have an assistant keeping you safe during the shoots?
Mattsnake
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Joined: January 14th, 2011, 6:41 pm
Location: Cairns, Australia

Re: Aussie elapids

Post by Mattsnake »

Thanks everyone.
justinm wrote:You have some amazing pictures of snakes that I would love to see. Do you have an assistant keeping you safe during the shoots?
I often herp alone, so no, there usually isn't anyone helping me out with photos. When you're around large elapids fairly often you learn how to handle them, and how each species tends to behave, and you can use that to your advantage when photographing them.
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Berkeley Boone
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Re: Aussie elapids

Post by Berkeley Boone »

Really enjoyed the pictures- especially the Highlands copperheads- those were fantastic!
--Berkeley
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