Author Archives: sunsoutsquamataout

Australia’s coolest lizard species

Very excited to find my first thorny devil (Moloch horridus)- these little dragons are incredible, they are they covered in spikes and exceptionally good at camouflaging into the bush, and also have a “false head” on their neck, which when they dip their head helps to hide their real head from predators! They also useContinue reading “Australia’s coolest lizard species”

National Mining Chronicle Feature

News feature: ‘Minesite restoration overlooks fauna: study’ in the National Mining Chronicle ” Animals are often assumed to return to the area of a minesite following its closure and the return of vegetation, however, in practice restoring animal communities and biodiversity can be exceptionally challenging” You can read the full article here.

New publication!

Responses of animals to mine site restoration are often overlooked in favour of vegetation surveys. Animals are generally assumed to landscapes following the return of vegetation, however in practice this is rarely the case. My recent paper “Overlooked and undervalued: the nelected role of fauna and a global bias in ecological restoration assessments” reviews theContinue reading “New publication!”

Australia’s largest lizard!

Growing up to 2.5m in length, Perentie’s (Varanus giganteus) are Australia’s largest lizard species, and one of my absolute favourite species of varanid. They have incredibly distinctive markings on their throats, which they like to puff out (along with the occasional hiss) to let you know you’re an unwelcome visitor. These perenties were found inContinue reading “Australia’s largest lizard!”

The first herps of the season are emerging!

Spring is kicking in, and the reptiles have started to emerge again! One of my favourites to see around is the resident yellow spotted monitor (Varanus panoptes) that lives in a disused area of our site. This monitor is exceptionally wary, and disappears down its burrow when approached, or if it sees human movement, andContinue reading “The first herps of the season are emerging!”