Victor Valley College Tropical Research Initiative
Herpetofauna of Timor-Leste
Phase III

Pante Macassar, Oecusse District

Maps of Pante Macassar, Oecusse District. (click to enlarge)

We set up our headquarters at the Hotel Rao, near the centre of Pante Macassar, the main town of the Oecusse exclave. Christy and Luis had arrived the previous day and done a recce of the town.

Hotel Rao, Oecusse, District.
Specimen prep: Hinrich, Caitlin and Dominique hard at work, Benny observing.
Huntsman spider, Argiope sp. [Sparassidae] found behind Hinrich's pillow in the hotel.

The town has that look of decaying decadence more associated with Havana, Cuba - you can see it was once an architecturally grand place with numerous stylish buildings, many of which are now shells.

Pante Macassar sea front with canons.	Pante Macassar sea front colonial facade.
Pante Macassar sea front colonial head quarters, swamp to the left.
The swamp, Pante Macassar.

Several locations were searched for herps around Pante Macassar. The introduced Common house gecko (Hemidactylus frenatus) and Roti house gecko (Hemidactylus cf. tenkatei) were found at the Hotel Rao. The Asian black-spined toad (Duttaphryne melanostictus) was found in close proximity to the hotel and generally around Pante Macassar. Two evenings were spent searching rice paddys between the Hotel Rao and the shorefront provided numerous Rice paddy frogs (Fejervarya sp.) while Striped treefrogs (Polypedates cf. leucomystax) were found along the shorefront. The toads were calling so loudly they almost drowned out the other frogs. We also found tapeworm burdens in some of the frogs from the paddies.

The Flat-tailed gecko (H.platyurus) and Timor lying lizard (Draco timoriensis) was found in the trees along the esplanade at Santa Rosa, while further geckos, Emerald tree skinks (Lamprolepis cf. smaragdina) and Common many-banded skinks (Eutropis cf. multifasciatus) were collected from around the swamp near the colonial buildings opposite the esplanade.

Frogs from Pante Macassar
Asian black-spined toad, Duttaphryne melanostictus
Striped treefrogs, Polypedates cf. leucomystax
Rice paddy frogs, Fejervarya sp.
Cestode (tapeworm) parasites from Rice paddy frogs, Fejervarya sp.

Lizards from Pante Macassar
Common house gecko, Hemidactylus frenatus	Fat-tailed gecko, Hemidactylus platyurus
Roti house gecko, Hemidactylus cf. tenkatei
Emerald tree skink, Lamprolepis cf. smaragdina
Common many-banded skinks, Eutropis cf. multifasciata
Timor flying lizard, Draco timoriensis

Hinrich Kaiser hands a copy of the Phase I report to the Secretary of State for Oecusse, Jorge Teme	Mark O'Shea meeting the Secretary of State for Oecusse, Jorge Teme

Mark with UNPOL officers Davut Gol (Turkey) and Agith de Silva (Sri Lanka) outside the Pante Macassar, Oecusse headquarters of the Policia National Timor-Leste.	Hard herping expedition members enjoy a well earned night out at the Hard Rock Cafe, Oecusse - located within the UN compound.(L-R): Hinrich Kaiser; Caitlin Sanchez; Agivedo "Laca" Ribeiro; Mark O'Shea; Venancio "Benny" Carvalho; Dominique Fallas; Eric Leatham; Andrew Kathriner, with Davut Gol (Turkish UNPOL).

We were told about a python being kept as a pet in Pante Macassar. It had been caught in the 'swamp' near the old colonial offices and apparently the owners were so frightened of it that they did not handle it and simply threw in a chicken, or poured water into its rotten cage, every so often. The python, not surprisingly, was also frightened and defensive, striking all anything that moved. We received permission to remove and examine the python but not to release it into the wild.

Once the owner and his family had seen the python handled without incident they agreed to us returning the following day to measure, sex, scale count and take DNA samples from the snake.

As the python was removed from its cage its owners fled.
Captive 2.0m Reticulated python, Python reticulatus reticulatus	Lying in the same position and striking or running the mesh of the cage resulted in an inferior lower jaw.
Caitlin, Laca and Luis collect data: ventral, the subcaudal scale counts, watched by the owner and his family.

The next day, watching Caitlin, Laca and Luis handle the python with ease drew the family in closer and eventually the owner was encouraged to touch, then handle, then hold the snake he had kept but feared for 3years. Gradually further members of the family, right down to the little girls, touched the python to a greater or lesser degree.

While all this was happening the entire rotten bottom section of its cage was being rebuilt and improved.

Laca demonstrates that the python is quite handleable if treated with respect.	Luis convinces the owner to touch his pet python for the first time in the 3 years of its captivity.
The owner proudly handles and displays his 'new' pet python.

Eventually the time came for the python to be returned to its cage but with the new found confidence of the owners it seems likely that it will be taken out and actually handled more regularily in the future. Although we could not convince them to let us release the python it is certain that its quality of life will be better from now on.

We received intelligence that ' seasnakes' were occasionally seen on the sea wall and defences of the old wharfe to the east of Pante Macassar. One evening we made a search of the location and captured a single Yellow-lipped sea kraits (Laticauda colubrina). Sea kraits are inoffensive snakes, but being front-fanged venomous members of the Elapidae they require respect.

The old wharfe east of Pante Macassar.

Sea defences, habitat of the Yellow-lipped sea krait, Laticauda colubrina
Yellow-lipped sea krait, Laticauda colubrina