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bizarre..: |
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will Senior Member Joined: 27 Feb 2007 No. of posts: 330  View other posts by will |
Posted: 27 Sep 2009 These pics were taken by the running track at Regents Park, London today. I was in search of the feral Aesculapian snakes but instead I found this big, dead lizard next to the track. Closeby was a piece of sacking which might have been used to dump it, but I don't know (lizard in foreground in front of running track in second pic). I reckon it's a bearded dragon, but whether from the Zoo or just coincidence who knows ?   |
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will Senior Member Joined: 27 Feb 2007 No. of posts: 330 View other posts by will |
Posted: 27 Sep 2009 Wow - only just seen Lucy's photo of a bearded dragon in the Photo section - there's a coincidence. Hope it's not your beardie, Lucy ! |
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Jonathan Senior Member Joined: 08 Sep 2009 No. of posts: 68 View other posts by Jonathan |
Posted: 27 Sep 2009 Thousands upon thousands of these are sold every year. Bet someone either had an escape or dumped a dead one where it would attract attention. I admit I did the same with an Emporer Scorpions body in the local mall when I was a teen "England Expects" |
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Vicar Senior Member Joined: 02 Sep 2004 No. of posts: 1181 View other posts by Vicar |
Posted: 27 Sep 2009 Did you find any Aesculapians Will? - I suspect its a bit late in the year for them now. Steve Langham - Chairman 
Surrey Amphibian & Reptile Group (SARG). |
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Peter Senior Member Joined: 17 Jan 2008 No. of posts: 260 View other posts by Peter |
Posted: 27 Sep 2009 Jonathan is right, Bearded dragons, along with leopard geckoes are probably the most widely kept lizard species in the country. 
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will Senior Member Joined: 27 Feb 2007 No. of posts: 330 View other posts by will |
Posted: 28 Sep 2009 In reply to Steve - no, I didn't, but in 2007 I saw one on Sept 21st and in 2008 I had one on Sept 30th, both around 21 deg C. In London yesterday it was up to 23 deg, so I thought I was in with a chance. However this year has been poor for spotting them, I have only recorded 3 new individuals, and the last sighting was in June. Given that I work a few miles from the Zoo and that I have a season ticket, I guess I've paid around ten visits since then and seen no sign of snakes, even in the core areas. There are several possible reasons: a) Aesculapians are fiendishly hard to spot, b) someone from outside the Zoo has collected them c) the Zoo has decided to collect them and do something with the 'problem'... conspiracy theorists may select option 3 ! I have managed to procure the loan of a thermal imaging camera and will use it on the banks of the Canal next spring to see if it can pick up the heat signal from a basking terrestrial / arboreal snake. |
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kevinb Senior Member Joined: 18 Mar 2009 No. of posts: 61 View other posts by kevinb |
Posted: 29 Sep 2009 I had a walk along the canal this summer and although I did not see any snakes, I did see a few hoppers for rat poison over the fence in the zoo grounds. A doped up poisoned rat would make an easy but deadly meal. |
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will Senior Member Joined: 27 Feb 2007 No. of posts: 330 View other posts by will |
Posted: 29 Sep 2009 Good point Kevin; all I can say is that those rat traps have been around for several years and I can't imagine they'd impact so heavily on all the snakes within a short space of time, although the odd animal might well succumb to a dodgy meal |
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Jonathan Senior Member Joined: 08 Sep 2009 No. of posts: 68 View other posts by Jonathan |
Posted: 29 Sep 2009 I should imagine that it would affect quite alot of the rodent population in that immediate area. And thus the reps that feed upon them  "England Expects" |
- bizarre.. |
