Dispatches from Australia: Biologist Matt Evans Visits the Irwins in Australia to Study Native Species
Reptile Discovery Center biologist Matt Evans is currently on an excursion in the Land Down Under after a chance encounter with none-other than Australia’s most famous wildlife family itself, the Irwins. In 2010, Terri Irwin (wife of the late Steve Irwin), along with her children, Bindi and Robert, took an official tour of the Zoo. During this tour, Matt took them behind the scenes at the Reptile Discovery Center, which featured crocodile feeding demonstrations and an exclusive encounter with the Zoo’s chameleons, one of Robert’s favorite animals.
Following the tour, Terri announced an open invitation for all National Zoo staff to visit the Australia Zoo and one day later a curator at the Australia Zoo sent Matt a formal invitation to visit. This will be Matt’s first time in Australia and he will be studying native Australian species. Matt has a background in studying Australian species and expresses a real passion and interest in finally getting to study them in their natural environments. Throughout his month-long trip, Matt is visiting the Australia Zoo, the Sydney Aquarium, Reptile Park, as well as spending time in the Australian outback studying turtles, lizards and, of course, crocodilians.
During his stay, Matt will be providing weekly updates of his time in Australia. What animal would Matt sneak back in his suitcase if he could? A Tasmanian devil!
November 28, 2011
The first photo here is of the crocodile staff raiding the nest of an angry female saltwater crocodile. They pulled 50 fertile eggs out of that nest. The remaining photos here are of the “crocoseum.” There are more than half a dozen crocodile-holding areas outside of the Crocoseum.
Depending on the day, a crocodile is chosen for their 11 a.m. daily demonstration. The keepers open a shift cage and a crocodile swims out of the enclosure through an underwater shift door and out into a canal system that eventually leads them into the Crocoseum for the amazing demo. I was safely observing in all these photos, by the way!
The male saltwater crocs used for this demo are about 15 feet long and incredibly powerful—with more than 3,000 pounds per square inch of jaw pressure chomping down just inches away from the keepers. The staff is well trained, but it’s all still a bit scary, if you ask me. More to come!
November 17, 2011
It has been a nonstop adventure since my plane touched ground in Sydney! I left Washington D.C. on a Tuesday and got to Sydney on a Thursday. Once I finally got to Sydney I met up with the very well respected Australian Herpetologist, John Cann and off we went for a few hours drive to the southeastern coast.
Everything in Australia takes a few hours to get to! Once we got there, it was right out into the field, or "bush", as the Aussies call it. In my first few days in the field I was able to find: endangered birds, mammals, and of course I found a few snakes and turtles! Below I'm holding a venomous red-bellied black snake and am snorkeling with australian snake-necked turtles.
