PAPUA NEW GUINEA SNAKEBITE PROJECT
WHITESNAKE HUNT, WHOA YEAH!

Dave said the priority for the Oro trip were the New Guinea small-eyed snakes, or whitesnakes, (Microechis ikaheka) so the New Guinea brownsnakes (Pseudonaja textilis) of Heropa would have to wait for now. It is highly likely that the river between Popondetta and Higatura, and the airport at Girua and the Heropa and Parahe mini-estates, is a natural barrier since the oil palm managers and workers are sure brownsnakes are not found around Higatura. So "whitesnakes" first!

Since the local boys, Albert and Joseph, said the Sangara plantation was full of snakes and Owen had found nonvenomous species to be fairly abundant, we decided to concentrate on that location. Once we had Brian's vehicle, around 11:00, we set off, Ben, Hayward, Albert, Joseph and myself. The plantation looked perfect, plenty of palm frond rubbish and a creek running through the middle. We searched intensively from around 11:30 until 15:00 and were royally rewarded.

Searching the palm frond rubbish (l-r) Albert, Joseph and Ben while Hayward looks on	The creekside apture location of the first New Guinea small-eyed snake, Micropechis ikaheka

We saw wood frogs (Hylarana sp.) and Blue-tailed skinks (Emoia caeruleocauda), but did not catch them. We caught a little microhylid (Austrochaperina sp.), Brown sheen skinks (Eugongylus rufescens), a large Blue-tongued skink (Tiliqua gigas), another Bevel-nosed ground boa (Candoia paulsoni mcdowelli).

Microhylid frog Austrochaperina sp.	Brown sheen skink, Eugongylus rufescens
Blue-tongued skink, Tiliqua gigas	Bevel-nosed ground boa, Candoia paulsoni mcdowelli

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