TIMOR-LESTE REPTILE & AMPHIBIAN SURVEY
PHASE IV: OUT OF THE FRYING PAN INTO THE FRIDGE cont.

Hinrich and my Troopies outside one of the two accomodation blocks occupied by the expedition at the Pousada Maubisse.	The main house, originally the Portuguese Governor's residence - only Paul stayed here.
Click on images to enlarge

When we arrived at the Pousada we keenly set about herping in the ground, looking under rocks and plant-pots around the formal gardens and the walls for reptiles. In 2009 we had found three lizard species: numerous Four-fingered skinks (Carlia sp.), three specimens of a high altitude Night skink (Eremiascincus sp.) and a single specimen of a Wedge skink (Sphenomorphus sp.). On this occasion we found only the first two of these lizards but we also captured three Brahminy blindsnakes (Ramphotyphlops braminus) which probably arrived in the root-balls of some of the introduced exotic plants in the formal gardens, although the largest of the three was 165 mm long, only 10 mm short of the largest specimen recorded in the literature.

Four-fingered skink (male) Carlia sp.	Four-fingered skink (female) Carlia sp.
Night skink Eremiascincus sp.	Brahminy blindsnake Ramphotyphlops braminus

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