Today was the Brisbane Reptile Expo at the Morayfield which is about half an hour north of Brisbane. Historically reptile expos in Queensland were restricted and the sale of reptiles in these spaces was prohibited. Some recent changes have allowed the actual purchase of these reptile expos, allowing for this new opportunity to buy reptiles at an expo. The turnout was incredible and the line stretched across the entire centre past the carpark by 10:30. The expo was forced to close off entry by 11:45 due to the sheer number of visitors but I managed to get in beforehand and did a rather brief loop. I didn’t stay long due to the crowds but managed to find everything I wanted to see. There was a wide range of vendors – pet stores, government bodies keeping a close eye on things and lots of private breeders. Hopefully they find a larger venue next year due to the overwhelming popularity of the event.
In terms of the actual herptiles, I was surprised to see my first Oenpelli Python and Emerald Tree Monitor. The Oenpellis were brought in by Gavin Bedford [Endangered Oenpelli python bred in world first] as he is distributing his collection into the private trade into Queensland. There was one very active one near some of his albino Olive Pythons. The Emerald Tree Monitor was not for sale but rather a display animal that was incredibly popular with the hordes of people. Apparently, they can be kept in Queensland privately and they have just been added onto the live import list notably for import into Australia. I wasn’t the biggest fan of all these reptile morphs that are popping up but there were some eye-catching ones admittedly. It was good to see a few dedicated gecko and frog breeders especially. The three Chameleon Geckos were another highlight while the frog breeders were flat out selling all their little tree frogs. The native Red-eyed Tree-Frogs sold out almost immediately due to there being such a great demand for them. The species list below is definitely not complete but simply the species I was able to see in between all of the people. There were stalls I was physically not able to get to due to several bottlenecks. It does however paint a better picture on how diverse some sectors of the private reptile industry actually are and potentially what species might start popping up in zoos more regularly as well.
Oenpelli Python
Emerald Tree Monitor
Species Seen List for Brisbane Reptile Expo:
Macquarie Turtle, Emydura macquarii
Eastern Long-necked Turtle, Chelodina longicollis
Chameleon Gecko, Carphodactylus laevis
Centralian Knob-tailed Gecko, Nephrurus amyae
Smooth Knob-tailed Gecko, Nephrurus levis
Northern Leaf-tailed Gecko, Saltuarius cornutus
Thick-tailed Gecko, Underwoodisaurus milii
Helmeted Gecko, Diplodactylus galeatus
Eastern Stone Gecko, Diplodactylus vittatus
Northern Spiny-tailed Gecko, Strophurus ciliaris
Jewelled Gecko, Strophurus elderi
Eastern Spiny-tailed Gecko, Strophurus williamsi
Pink-tongued Skink, Cyclodomorphus gerrardii
Cunningham’s Skink, Egernia cunninghami
Tree Skink, Egernia striolata
Night Skink, Liopholis striata
Shingleback, Tiliqua rugosa
Eastern Blue-tongue, Tiliqua scincoides
Centralian Blue-tongue, Tiliqua multifasciata
Frilled Lizard, Chlamydosaurus kingii
Painted Dragon, Ctenophorus pictus
Water Dragon, Intellagama lesueurii
Central Bearded Dragon, Pogona vitticeps
Pygmy Bearded Dragon, Pogona henrylawsoni
Dwarf Bearded Dragon, Pogona minor
Spiny-tailed Monitor, Varanus acanthurus
Pygmy Mulga Monitor, Varanus gilleni
Pilbara Rock Monitor, Varanus pilbarensis
Emerald Monitor, Varanus prasinus
Spotted Tree Monitor, Varanus scalaris
Rusty Monitor, Varanus semiremex
Spencer’s Monitor, Varanus spenceri
Storr’s Monitor, Varanus storri
Children’s Python, Antaresia childreni
Spotted Python, Antaresia maculosa
Stimson’s Python, Antaresia stimsoni
Black-headed Python, Aspidites melanocephalus
Woma, Aspidites ramsayi
Olive Python, Liasis olivaceus
Centralian Python, Morelia bredli
Carpet Python, Morelia spilota – spilota, variegata, cheynei, mcdowelli + hybrids
Green Python, Morelia viridis
Oenpelli Python, Simalia oenpelliensis
Green Tree Snake, Dendrelaphis punctulatus
Green Tree Frog, Litoria caerulea
Magnificent Tree Frog, Litoria splendida
Red-eyed Tree Frog, Litoria chloris
Dainty Tree Frog, Litoria gracilenta
Eastern Dwarf Frog, Litoria fallax
Peron’s Tree Frog, Litoria peronii
Ornate Burrowing Frog, Platyplectrum ornatum
In terms of the actual herptiles, I was surprised to see my first Oenpelli Python and Emerald Tree Monitor. The Oenpellis were brought in by Gavin Bedford [Endangered Oenpelli python bred in world first] as he is distributing his collection into the private trade into Queensland. There was one very active one near some of his albino Olive Pythons. The Emerald Tree Monitor was not for sale but rather a display animal that was incredibly popular with the hordes of people. Apparently, they can be kept in Queensland privately and they have just been added onto the live import list notably for import into Australia. I wasn’t the biggest fan of all these reptile morphs that are popping up but there were some eye-catching ones admittedly. It was good to see a few dedicated gecko and frog breeders especially. The three Chameleon Geckos were another highlight while the frog breeders were flat out selling all their little tree frogs. The native Red-eyed Tree-Frogs sold out almost immediately due to there being such a great demand for them. The species list below is definitely not complete but simply the species I was able to see in between all of the people. There were stalls I was physically not able to get to due to several bottlenecks. It does however paint a better picture on how diverse some sectors of the private reptile industry actually are and potentially what species might start popping up in zoos more regularly as well.
Oenpelli Python
Emerald Tree Monitor
Species Seen List for Brisbane Reptile Expo:
Macquarie Turtle, Emydura macquarii
Eastern Long-necked Turtle, Chelodina longicollis
Chameleon Gecko, Carphodactylus laevis
Centralian Knob-tailed Gecko, Nephrurus amyae
Smooth Knob-tailed Gecko, Nephrurus levis
Northern Leaf-tailed Gecko, Saltuarius cornutus
Thick-tailed Gecko, Underwoodisaurus milii
Helmeted Gecko, Diplodactylus galeatus
Eastern Stone Gecko, Diplodactylus vittatus
Northern Spiny-tailed Gecko, Strophurus ciliaris
Jewelled Gecko, Strophurus elderi
Eastern Spiny-tailed Gecko, Strophurus williamsi
Pink-tongued Skink, Cyclodomorphus gerrardii
Cunningham’s Skink, Egernia cunninghami
Tree Skink, Egernia striolata
Night Skink, Liopholis striata
Shingleback, Tiliqua rugosa
Eastern Blue-tongue, Tiliqua scincoides
Centralian Blue-tongue, Tiliqua multifasciata
Frilled Lizard, Chlamydosaurus kingii
Painted Dragon, Ctenophorus pictus
Water Dragon, Intellagama lesueurii
Central Bearded Dragon, Pogona vitticeps
Pygmy Bearded Dragon, Pogona henrylawsoni
Dwarf Bearded Dragon, Pogona minor
Spiny-tailed Monitor, Varanus acanthurus
Pygmy Mulga Monitor, Varanus gilleni
Pilbara Rock Monitor, Varanus pilbarensis
Emerald Monitor, Varanus prasinus
Spotted Tree Monitor, Varanus scalaris
Rusty Monitor, Varanus semiremex
Spencer’s Monitor, Varanus spenceri
Storr’s Monitor, Varanus storri
Children’s Python, Antaresia childreni
Spotted Python, Antaresia maculosa
Stimson’s Python, Antaresia stimsoni
Black-headed Python, Aspidites melanocephalus
Woma, Aspidites ramsayi
Olive Python, Liasis olivaceus
Centralian Python, Morelia bredli
Carpet Python, Morelia spilota – spilota, variegata, cheynei, mcdowelli + hybrids
Green Python, Morelia viridis
Oenpelli Python, Simalia oenpelliensis
Green Tree Snake, Dendrelaphis punctulatus
Green Tree Frog, Litoria caerulea
Magnificent Tree Frog, Litoria splendida
Red-eyed Tree Frog, Litoria chloris
Dainty Tree Frog, Litoria gracilenta
Eastern Dwarf Frog, Litoria fallax
Peron’s Tree Frog, Litoria peronii
Ornate Burrowing Frog, Platyplectrum ornatum