Off topic: Rosenberg's Monitors on Mt Ainslie

[David Rees <>]

Mathew 

Interesting, thank you for sharing that.  It goes to show how a big animal such as this uncommon reptile can live close to a lot of people and almost never be seen, Ie the importance of a 'detection threshold'.  I have not seen a goanna (of either species) around Canberra, go to Wee Jasper though and the regular lace monitor is not hard to find there in warmer months. 

David

On Fri, May 1, 2015 at 6:13 PM, Stephanie Haygarth <> wrote:

COG members might recall previous emails from me of my Rosenberg's Monitor sightings on Mt Ainslie, at Googong and in Namadgi.  These impressive reptiles are not numerous in the ACT (they are officially 'Vulnerable' in NSW) and seeing them is special.

Having learned that they lay their eggs in active termite mounds around Feb, with hatching around Sept, and that the major predator of the egg stashes is other Rosenberg's, I've been keeping an eye out for possible mound breeding sites on Mt Ainslie.  Don Fletcher (ACT Govt) and I (as a volunteer) mounted several automatic cameras near mounds in March to see if we could get shots of monitors or breeding activity.  We have retrieved the cams and yes there are several photos of a monitor at one of the mounds - not engaged in egg-laying but there nevertheless.  So, photo evidence for Mt Ainslie at last.  We look forward to reinstating the cams in Sept when hatching at the mounds is quite a possibility.

Pic attached (Rosenbergs at left, probably a bit under a metre in length; cam was directly above mound. Mound shows possible evidence of egg-burial indentation, following repair by active termites).

Cheers
Matthew Higgins

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