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

Oecusse to Dili

Map of Timor-Leste showing route to Oecusse District.
(click to enlarge)

Map showing alternative route to West Timor via Sakato. (click to enlarge)

When we drove from Dili to Pante Macassar we were unsure as to whether the rumoured coastal route was passable. In Pante Macassar we learned that not only was it a good road, it would take several hours off our journey. We made the West Timor border at Sakato within 40minutes and crossed into Indonesia shortly after the border opened.

Oecusse side of the Sakato border post.	West Timor side of the Sakato border post.

Fishing platforms off the coast of West Timor.

Close-up of fishing platforms off the coast of West Timor.

The coastal route through West Timor was shorter and both more interesting and much safer, with far fewer manic motorcycles, than the Kefamenanu-Atambua route. Apart from one bridge with huge holes in the road, which could only be traversed by motorcycles, the journey was without problems, and even this set-back was easily overcome by fording the river via a well used detour.

One bridge on the Sakato route was impassible due to large holes in the road.

Fortunately there is a detour.

Enroute we stopped to examine three road-kills.

West Timor Road-Kill No.4: Sakato to Umarese road.

We came across a recently killed 2.0m Macklot's water python (Liasis mackloti) on a stretch of road through a fairly arid area. From examination of the snake it appeared likely that the snake had been killed somewhere else (a wetter location) and thrown onto the road.

Benny with road-killed 2.0m Macklot's water python, Liasis mackloti

Roadside habitat at road-kill location, rather arid for Macklot's water python.

West Timor Road-Kill No.5: Sakato to Umarese road.

Further on we encountered a completely flattened, paper-thin, section of green snake. The sample appears to come from a relatively stout snake with a midbody count of at least 25 dorsal scales, the maximum for the only species currently considered as a possible identification, the Island pitviper (Cryptelytrops insularis).

Road-killed Island pitviper, Cryptelytrops insularis, the dorsal count of 25 is at the top end for this species.

West Timor Road-Kill No.6: Sakato to Umarese road.

The final road-kill was also perfectly flat. Found on the road as it passed through a fairly vegetated area, the scale counts and patterning, unicolour with a pale nape band, suggest a Common wolfsnake (Lycodon capucinus).

Examining road-kills is not the best part of fieldwork, after a few hours in the sun they soon become very ripe.

The DOR wolfsnake was found where the road ran through a well vegetated area.

Road-killed Common wolfsnake, Lycodon capucinus, dorsal and supralabial counts, and the pale nape markings suggest this identification.

We took a break at the bustling Umarese market.

Umarese market, West Timor, Indonesia.
Red peppers.	Fish of the sea.
Mustard stick, greens and betelnut.	Tobacco, lime, betelnut and greens.

And back into Timor-Leste.

At Motaain we crossed the border back into Timor-Leste with ease, and drove back to Dili, stopping only for drinks and a photo opportunity at the silent Lagoa Sia Maubara, a lake some say is haunted and others say is home to a crocodile. The petrified forest around its shores do nothing to allay the impression of the dark lake outside the West Gate or Moria in Tolkien's Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, that is itself home to a hidden menace, the Watcher in the Water.

A photo stop at the 'haunted' Lagoa Sia Maubara, Liquica District, Timor-Leste, is a must.