Today’s lovely photos come from Tony Eales in Queensland, and are a potpourri of plants and animals. His captions are indented, and you can click on the photos to enlarge them.
I was recently in tropical north Queensland for work and decided to take a couple of days ‘time off in lieu’ that was owed me and visit the world heritage rainforests of the Atherton Tablelands.
Oh my ceiling cat! I managed to tick off three of my life-time bucket-list organisms in two days, along with many other amazing species which I’ll send in another email.
First the setting. I spent my days searching around the Lake Eacham National Park. The centrepiece of the park is a crater lake in an extinct volcanic caldera but I was told about an unsigned track down a closed road that went into the forest to some cascades on Wrights Creek that runs between Lake Eacham and Lake Barrine.
At night I went to Curtain Fig National Park, which is a small patch of primary forest just outside the little town of Yungaburra.
It was in this little forest that I saw my bucket-list creatures.
A Boyd’s Forest Dragon (Lophosaurus boydii). I was searching through hanging leaves at night looking for insects and spiders to photograph when I found myself almost eyeball to eyeball with this beautiful lizard.
Lucky too, for during the day they have a habit of moving around the tree trunk such that it is always between you and the lizard, thus you often pass them without ever knowing they are there.
The last night I was there I stayed in the forest on dusk, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Lumholtz’s Tree Kangaroos (Dendrolagus lumholtzi) that I knew lived there. I gave up and went back to town to sit by the Platypus viewing platform hoping I’d have better luck with the monotremes. There, right beside the main road in a tree next to the bridge, was a tree kangaroo.
And the most exciting for me though perhaps not for everyone, I saw my first Velvet Worm. I have a real thing for small phylum. These creatures have fascinated me ever since I learned of them in high school biology then later when they were featured in David Attenborough’s 2005 documentary Life in the Undergrowth. Now I have finally seen one I am not disappointed. They are amazing to watch move but I hope one day to see one take down prey.
This one is in the family Peripatopsidae or Southern Velvet Worms—the only Velvet Worm family in Australia.
I missed out on seeing the famous Stalk-eyed Flies in Borneo that are in the family Diopsidae. However, at Curtain Fig NP I was able to ‘next-best-thing’ it with Stalk-eyed Signal Flies (Achias sp.) in the family Platystomatidae. I was very pleased.
Beautiful Velvet Worm!
Very cool as always, Tony. Thanks for sharing.
The lead up to the flies works so well.
Macro photography is a sort of breakthrough, isn’t it? Imagine such photography in the 50’s – it wouldn’t work.
Wonderful photos – I visited Queensland a few years ago and simply loved the forests. Thanks for sharing these great pictures.
Great stuff, Tony! I would die seeing a velvet worm. And those other things too.
I wonder why some of the male stalk eyed flies have not-so-big stalks.
Yeah I’m not sure. The Diopsid stalk eyed flies use the size of the stalks to assert dominance but I’m not sure with these guys. Apparently this feature has evolved in another family as well
Eyes assert dominance – how does that work? “Grandpa, what big eyes you have!” “The better to see you with, my darling!” – ?
It’s been a while since I saw the documentary but I think the theory was it was a width measuring contest
Brought back great memories of this area. I did see platypus, but would swap the sighting for velvet worms!
It’s nice to have people get what a big deal it was for me to see a velvet worm. My friends and family are like “Okaaaaay”
These are splendid, Tony! What a thrilling time you must have had and thanks for letting us vicariously join you on your quest.
Amazing and beautiful photos — and animals. Thanks for posting them.
Thanks for sharing these, great photos!
That must have been one fun adventure. What beautiful environs. The lizard was spectacular, as well as the velvet worm. How long is that critter?
The velvet worm was around 30-35mm
Wow…enhances my estimation of your photography skills, that’s for sure. And what a lovely mini macro creature. Complexity is not monopolized by bigness. Small is actually more weird and awe inspiring…at least for me.
OH you damn Queenslanders – always showing off your cool stuff!
Nice stuff, by the way and expertly photographed. 😉
D.A.,
NYC (formerly of Melbourne, Vic)
https://whyevolutionistrue.com/2020/06/10/photos-of-readers-93/