Wildlife of the Houtman Abrolhos

Photo Galleries | Updated 7 years ago

Jetty on East Wallabi island projects out into the oceanBiologists on Jetty on East Wallabi Island, get ready to find some reptiles
image courtesy LS Umbrello A dragon rests on a branchBearded Dragon (Pogona minor minima) basks in the sun
image courtesy RA How Two seals sit close to the shoreMale and female Australian Sea Lions (Neophoca cinerea) cool off in the shallows
image courtesy RA How Three biologists look for lizards amongst the coastal vegetation on an islandBiologists search for lizards on the islands
image courtesy LS Umbrello A carpet python is held in front of a green bushA Carpet Python (Morelia spilota varigata) on West Wallabi Island
image courtesy LS Umbrello A fence and traps lie along the sand amongst coastal vegetation on an islandFunnel traps and pit lines, animals run along the fence and are caught in the traps
image courtesy RA How A skink in a bucket trapA skink (Ctenotus fallens) has been caught in a pit trap
image courtesy LS Umbrello Two dolphins swim in the oceanBottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) playfully swim alongside the research boat
image courtesy CA Stevenson A bird sits on a roofA Bridled Tern (Sterna anaethetus) on Pigeon Island
image courtesy CA Stevenson A gecko on sandA Barking Gecko (Underwoodisaurus milii)
image courtesy RA How A small wallaby stands on sand amongst coastal scrubTammar Wallabies (Macropus eugenii) live on the larger islands and are what the Wallabi Islands were named after
image courtesy CA Stevenson A black skink sits on a rockAn adult King’s Skink (Egernia kingii) basks in the sun
image courtesy RA How A bird of prey sits on the edge of a building overlooking the oceanAn Osprey (Pandion haliaetus cristatus) on Pigeon Island
image courtesy CA Stevenson A native rat caught in a calico bagA native Bush Rat (Rattus fuscipes), about to be weighed and measured
image courtesy LS Umbrello Biologists in a dingy on the oceanBiologists return from checking traps on Oystercatcher Island early in the morning
image courtesy LS Umbrello A large brown skink is heldA Spiny-tailed Skink (Egernia stokesii stokesii) on Pigeon Island
image courtesy LS Umbrello hundreds of tiny white shellsShell beach on Pelsart Island
image courtesy LS Umbrello Brown sea birds roost in a bushCommon Noddys (Anous stolidus) nest on Pelsart Island
image courtesy CA Stevenson Thousands of sea birds flying and roosting on an islandThousands of sea birds breed on Pelsart Island
image courtesy CA Stevenson An osprey nest on an islandAn Osprey nest amongst the sea bird breeding colony, the nest is constructed with driftwood, rope and other washed up debris
image courtesy LS Umbrello A bird sits on a bushA Sooty Tern (Sterna fuscata) on Pelsart Island
image courtesy CA Stevenson

In February 2012 the WA Museum Terrestrial Zoology department conducted fieldwork on the Houtman Abrolhos Islands, off the coast of Geraldton, WA. This was the last in a series of surveys beginning in 1977 to catalogue and study the biodiversity of vertebrate fauna on the islands. On this final fieldtrip important genetic samples were obtained to further investigate the phylogeographic relationships between vertebrate populations on different islands.

These photos showcase the iconic wildlife of the Abrolhos, ranging from the most northern population of Australian Sea Lions in Australia to Spiny-tailed Skinks, who live in family groups amongst the coral rubble that covers the islands. Common on the larger islands are Tammar Wallabies, who can drink sea water to survive the dry summers. The Bush Rat is another native mammal occurring on West Wallabi Island and these rodents are a valuable food supply for the Abrolhos Island Carpet Python.

The Abrolhos islands are important breeding grounds for many species of sea birds. Their numbers reach into the thousands on Pelsart Island, the most southern island of the three island groups. The Osprey and White-Bellied Sea-Eagle are two large birds of prey that also have adapted to life on the isolated Abrolhos islands.

If you would like to learn more about the evolution of fauna on the Abrolhos Islands watch Prof. Ric How’s In the Wild West lecture http://museum.wa.gov.au/explore/videos/ark-discovery-evolution-fauna-on-houtman-abrolhos