The Terrestrial Reptiles of Australia's Island Territories [1983]

First published 1983 by Australian National Parks and Wildlife Service, Canberra. Special publication 11. [Excerpt] Australia possesses a rich and diverse herpetofauna, with some 800 species of frogs and reptiles recorded from continental Australia and Tasmania. Yet surprisingly little is known of the terrestrial reptiles of Australia's oceanic territories in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. In an attempt to redress this shortcoming, brief surveys, each of about two week's duration, were carried out by the authors on three of Australia's oceanic islands: Norfolk Island in the western Pacific Ocean, and Christmas Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands in tile Indian Ocean (see Fig. 1). … The aim of the Norfolk, Cocos (Keeling) and Christmas Island surveys, each of which was commissioned by the Australian National Parks and Wildlife Service (ANPWS), was to study the present status of the islands' reptile faunas, including their composition, local distribution and relative abundance. The surveys also aimed to identify any special needs or problems in conserving the reptiles of these islands …