Cape York Herpetological Society

What we're all about

Australia is a land rich in reptiles. One of the richest reptile and amphibian areas in the country, and one of the last great wild places left in the world is Queensland’s Wet Tropics region and Cape York Peninsula

 

The Cape York Herpetological Society is a group of diverse people from the local area and further afield. Some of us work with reptiles as a profession. Others are enthusiastic private hobbyists; others are avid field researchers and photographers. Other members have no particular preference but are happiest when pottering about in the bush.

We all share one thing - an enthusiasm for “our patch,” the northern part of Queensland, Australia. This region extends from the Wet Tropics on the east coast, more or less centered around the towns of Cairns and Port Douglas, west into the Outback savannah woodlands and floodplains and finally north, up into the region for which our association is named – Cape York.

 

The Wet Tropics and “The Cape” are regions of astonishing diversity. Landscapes range from horizon to horizon - savannah woodlands, intersected by rocky escarpments containing rock art dating thousands of years, testament to the vitality of the oldest continually functioning human culture anywhere in the world. The world’s oldest rainforests still occupy the same places that they did during the Cretaceous Period. Coastal mangrove forests line the rivers and tidal floodplains. Other sections of the coast shimmer with impossibly white silica dunefields that support coastal heathlands found nowhere else. The highest peaks in Queensland collect over 10 metres of rain a year; each isolated peak having its own distinct herpetofauna. Offshore lies the 2,000 kilometre long Great Barrier Reef.

 

Our Society seeks to document, research, celebrate and connect the community with, the diversity and beauty of this region and the animals that live here. When Australians and visitors alike regard this land as not only home to the Kangaroo, the Emu and the Koala but also the home of the Water-holding Frog, the Carrot–tailed Gecko and the Rough-scaled Snake then we will be well on the way to achieving our objective.

 

We hope you enjoy your visit to our site. Please let us know what you think.

 

The main focus of the Society is field herpetology. Notwithstanding that, any articles or talks about branches of captive reptile husbandry are always welcome. Although reptiles are, of course, our main passion, we are not just limited to them. All aspects of northern Australian natural history are grist to the Society’s mill.

 

Please visit our gallery pages. There are some very accomplished photographers amongst the membership.

If surfing this site has inspired you to join us then membership application forms are available here, within the newsletter, or you can join up at any meeting.