can someone please ID these - Spider & Skink

[north-north-west]

There are quite a few different Funnelweb species. The Sydney variety is supposed to be the deadliest, but the others are still lethal. All the Mygalomorphs are venomous, in fact, and most of them deadly.

edit: Actually, I think they aren't even the same genus.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian ... web_spider

[ILUVSWTAS]

Well that's just typical of humans!! Why give them the same freakin name if they aren't even the same flapping species!!!!

[north-north-west]

It's in the detail. That's why you have a Sydney Funnelweb and a Kosciuszko Funnelweb and a Tasmanian Funnelweb etc etc etc.

[ILUVSWTAS]

yeh, but why call them all funnel webs if they are different species? why not call one a hurtielotbite??

[Strider]

yeh, but why call them all funnel webs if they are different species? why not call one a hurtielotbite??

Because they are still all taxonomically related. Being different species has nothing to do with their common naming.

[ILUVSWTAS]

yeh, but why call them all funnel webs if they are different species? why not call one a hurtielotbite??

Because they are still all taxonomically related. Being different species has nothing to do with their common naming.

Meh, sounds like a crock to me. Mind you i dont even know what taxonomically is, and i care even less to bother googling it.

[Strider]

yeh, but why call them all funnel webs if they are different species? why not call one a hurtielotbite??

Because they are still all taxonomically related. Being different species has nothing to do with their common naming.

Meh, sounds like a crock to me. Mind you i dont even know what taxonomically is, and i care even less to bother googling it.

They are all related at a higher level, i.e. even though they are different species, they all come from a common ancestor.

[ILUVSWTAS]

They are all related at a higher level, i.e. even though they are different species, they all come from a common ancestor.

In that case why are we not Poms instead of Australians??

[Nuts]

( )

[Strider]

They are all related at a higher level, i.e. even though they are different species, they all come from a common ancestor.

In that case why are we not Poms instead of Australians??

Technically, you are (I'm not).

POME = Prisoner of Mother England

[ILUVSWTAS]

If I may, why sir are you excluded??

[Strider]

If I may, why sir are you excluded??

Born in NZ

[ILUVSWTAS]

Hahaha ok fair enough.

So which species are you then?? Samoan? Fiji?? Who invaded, sorry colonized NZ??

[jackhinde]

She Oak Skinks,
Over the past 30 years on & off I have been observing the She Oak Skink in the Cradle Valley area,
They have a wide variety of colours, I have caught 2 that were jet black.
At another site on the West Coast, where there are a large number of She Oak Skinks, it is very rare to find two under the one log or sheet of old roofing iron.
In captivity, if you put two together they will fight.
The longest one I have caught was 320mm, They also have a blue tounge,(not forked) They will open their mouth & flash the blue tounge & hiss if threatened
They move very quickly & fold their front legs along the body, resembling a snake.
They will drop their tail quiet easily so be very careful when handling them,
Sometimes you will see one that has dropped his or her tail & a new tail is growing.
Baby She Oaks are pretty impressive, usually born with little tiger stripes.
Regards Overlandman

the skinks i saw were near cradle, both had yellow bellies. quite similar to the mainland ones so i can see why they were previously considered the same species. the fighting you mention is interesting, i have never kept them as pets. i agree with the snake like description, indeed the young ones almost seem to mimic baby eastern browns over here, isnt natural selection marvelous

[greyim]

Terrific photography !

[Beeper]

A black spider, thats aggressive, large fangs and those two feelers at the back of the abdomen is a sure sign of a funnel web or similar species, I'm surprised you picked it up.

[MichaelP]

A friend of mine has done quite a bit of herpetology research and sent me this in regard to the skink (I'll send her some of the more close up photos to clarify):

I think it is a 'yellow-bellied three-toed skink' (very creative with common names, aren't they?) - species name Saiphos equalis. I'm not 100% sure of this because its distribution is supposed to be eastern Australia; however, I found it in southern Victoria, so possibly it's just a sneaky little bugger who is either rare in southern areas, or has migrated.

This is actually a really interesting skink in a couple of ways - firstly, it's part of a small family which is considered the "link" between legless lizards and those with large limbs (you'll notice it has tiny little legs, and usually holds them close to its body to optimise burrowing, especially the hind legs). It's therefore a closer link between snakes and lizards, too.
Secondly, it almost shows us evolution in practice, displaying both viviparous (live birth) and oviparous (egg laying) reproductive strategies. The northern populations of the species usually lay eggs, while the southern populations tend to have live young. Having live young is advantageous in a colder environment because the embryo stays warm inside the mother for a longer period of time.

[Hallu]

Well it's got 5 toes, so She Oak Skink is more logical =)

[geoskid]

They are all related at a higher level, i.e. even though they are different species, they all come from a common ancestor.

Actually ILUV, you (and me), the spider and the lizard pictured have all got a common ancestor. I don't know what it's called, but we could affectionately call it 'Uncle Fred'
RIP Fred.

[jackhinde]

that is not a saiphos equalis.
and even if it it was it has nothing to do with the evolution of legless lizards which are essentially geckos with out legs (a completely different lineage to skinks), and it certainly has nothing to do with the evolution of snakes which descended from varanid type lizards... it is instead an example of convergent evolution.
your friend may have done some herpetological research, i am however, an herpetologist

[MichaelP]

Not going to argue with that!

[Onestepmore]

Definitely a She oak Skink. Usually found in mixed forest areas. Range in colour from slate grey to copper in colour. Sadly they are often mistaken for snakes and killed due to their shape and inconspicuous limbs

As this post has only just been approved from a new poster, I decided to quote it so it doesn't get overlooked. See above.

Haha Tasadam, I was going to do the same thing - Alex75 wins the guessing comeptition!