AMAZING ANIMALS IN DAINTREE RAINFOREST

AMAZING ANIMALS IN DAINTREE RAINFOREST, avast variety of Daintree rainforest animals call the Daintree rainforest home. All five of Australia’s frog species, including the enormous White-lipped Tree Frog, the largest frog in the world, and 30% of the country’s marsupial species are found here.

 

1- GREEN TREE SNAKE 

Green tree snakes are one of the most beautiful animals in the Daintree rainforest.

I was fortunate to see this green snake eating a large white-lipped green tree frog.

Green tree frogs are the favourite food of this type of snake.

It takes some time for the frog to be eaten due to the large size of the frog and the small size of the snake.

Though we often feel sorry for the frog, this is nature in the raw. Yes, sometimes it can be challenging to watch.

 

2- WHITE-LIPPED GREEN TREE FROG

The tree frogs are the most adept at hiding of all the Daintree rainforest animals.

This is the largest of the tree frogs and can live for 13 years.

These frogs are so very green but I have also seen them grey and brown.

I pride myself in being able to find a camouflaged green tree frog in a mass of green foliage.

Over the years, I think I have mastered the technique of spotting them (and photographing them), though there are all the ones I don’t see and never know I missed, but I won’t talk about that.

3- CROCODILES 

SCUTER

This is one of the regular crocodiles we see, I have watched him grow up over the last 13 years.

His name is Scuter on account of him missing some Scutes.

He climbed up on the bank one day during the last cruise, and the light was such that he made this stunning silhouette.

LIZZIE AND A BABY CROCODILE 

Elisabeth or Lizzie is one of my favourite crocodiles, she’s the pin-up girl for the Days of the Daintree and is Scarface’s main lady.

You can only see her back here as she gives one of her children a piggyback ride.

SCARFACE

Scarface is the main man of the Daintree rainforest.

He is 4.5 m and is very chunky.

He is overweight, has no teeth and a face full of scars and the ladies find that irresistible.

He has many lady friends though his main girl is Lizzie.

However, he is known to be a bit of a player and there are often marital disputes between him and his main girl.

Other large males come and go but Scarface always stays and I’m very fond of him.

BABY CROCODILE HATCHLING 

This little hatchling had the most satisfied persona I have ever seen, he’s content and is a reminder to all of us to be happy.

He’s like a Zen master in mediation and if you look close, you can see his smile.

ERIC THE CANNIBAL

Eric is a regular crocodile that I have been watching for a number of years, one day during a cruise, Eric was catching prawns and fish on the edge of the bank then came across his friend (or perhaps a brother?) and decided to eat him too!

Hence he was forever called Eric the Cannibal and one of the scary animals in the Daintree rainforest.

MARGARET

The crocodiles have the most magnificent skin, texture and patterns and I will never tire of looking at them.

Their eyes are liquid gold and every crocodile has a different unique pattern and colouration.

This is one of many close-up portraits I have taken.

This is Margaret.

4- GREEN TREE SNAKE – FRED BUBBLEHEAD

This is a green tree snake with a water bubble on its head.

His name is Fred since I can recognise his kinked tail.

No one pays him much attention other than me, but he is so cute and I often find him watching me.

He lives in a bunch of native Hibiscus in Lizzie’s Creek and most of the time, people are fixated on the crocodiles and that’s when I often spot Fred being a bit of a joker and pulling some crazy face as he watches me.

5- STRIATED HERON 

I was lucky enough to capture this bird in the right light just after it speared a fish.

I regularly see these birds foraging on the banks of the river and marvel at their beauty.

They are super patient creatures and remind me that patience is a virtue, especially when you’re a bird catching very fast fish.

For more things to do in Queensland, read:

6- AZURE KINGFISHER

The Azure Kingfisher is one of my favourite birds due to its vibrant colours.

I designed my uniform colours to match this bird, though it’s hard to find anything that brilliant blue.

The soft pink feathers are only found in the Queensland race of this bird.

I can hear their call usually before I see them so have a chance to sneak up.

7- RAINBOW SERPENT

This is the Amethystine python caught in the right light; the colours are magnificent.

The aboriginal people had a dreamtime story about the rainbow serpent and it’s easy to picture that in this photo.

The rainbow serpent story is about creation and the mother of all life.

She created mountains and rivers and her colours flew to the sky to become the rainbow and rainbow lorikeets.

I believe it’s important to acknowledge the First Nations people and to understand their attachment to the country.

8- SOUTHERN CASSOWARY

There are between 1200 and 1500 Southern Cassowaries left in the world.

These large flightless birds live in tropical rainforests of northern Australia and New Guinea.

9- ULYSSES BUTTERFLY

The Ulysses Butterfly or papilio ulysses is a brilliant blue and can fly very quickly to avoid predators.

Seeing how a green and white caterpillar can emerge as a vibrant iridescent blue butterfly is interesting.

10- BOYD’S FOREST DRAGON

Boyd’s Forest Dragon (Hypsilurus boydii) is known as Jalbil by the Aboriginal people of the region.

It’s the largest rainforest dragon in Australia and can grow up to 15cm (6 inches) long in the body, while its tail is usually twice that length.

They can absorb water through their skin and do not bask in the sun. They keep warm by adjusting their body temperature to the air temperature.

11- SUGAR GLIDERS

Sugar gliders can glide gracefully through the air.

They are a cute Daintree rainforest animal that loves to eat sweet honey.

12- GOLDEN ORB SPIDER

The Golden Orb Spider is a small spider with long legs, with leg joints that are golden in colour.

They weave large webs in the Daintree rainforest, so when you’re hiking, lookout for these webs, as walking into them isn’t a pleasant experience.

13- MUSKY RAT-KANGAROO

The Musky Rat-Kangaroo has a strange movement that is a combination of a kangaroo hop and a rodent scamper.

It’s a small animal of the Daintree rainforest that makes its bed in the roots of trees, eats insects, leaves and forages for fruit on the ground.

DAINTREE RAINFOREST TOURS

David White owns Solar Whisper, a solar electric boat purposely designed to be low impact and maneuverable.