Who's been raiding my termite mounds?

[Danny]

Danny,

I've had them with virtually fully developed young in the eggs but not emerging from them when I disturbed the nest. Does the mother dig them out again when they are due? I ask this as its hard to believe such small animals would be capable of digging their own way out of some of the hard nests they are found in. Should be a great incubator temperature wise though.

That's correct, the mother returns to dig out the young when they have hatched. Amazes me really. And some people think animals aren't intelligent. If a cold blooded critter can be this warm hearted... Very clever.

That is what they would have you believe but its total twaddle - release from the nest most commonly occurs when a female in ovulation starts to pick around looking for a suitable nest site and complete what we call previttelogenic test digs. These may or may not be the mother - they are simply digging in the softest part which happens to be where a hole was made last year in order to determine if the nest is viable and internal temps are suitable. The change in CO2/O2 tension and vibrations involved in the digging causes the eggs ,that are fully developed but waiting in dormancy, to activate and hatch ready for accidental release at that point or in 3-4 weeks time when she or another female comes back to dig a nest burrow proper. Often the female will hang around and defend a nest site once a good one is found, adding to the "mothering" myth. So female digging and babies emerging is purely a combination of good timing, stimulation to break dormancy and a reduced number of viable nest sites resulting in re-use of previous years mounds. All the video footage you see of this is all staged with captive hatch babies and a tame well fed adult (that's actually a male) belonging to a guy in Sydney who can time his hatchings to the day.

[Danny]

Danny,

I've had them with virtually fully developed young in the eggs but not emerging from them when I disturbed the nest. Does the mother dig them out again when they are due? I ask this as its hard to believe such small animals would be capable of digging their own way out of some of the hard nests they are found in. Should be a great incubator temperature wise though.

I take it you opened the eggs rather than set them up to hatch.?? We have found when we set them up to hatch, most hatch within 24-48 hr of the disturbance. Occasionally they would hatch and emerge on the way home.

[mickw]

This is sooo cool Danny and tiaris .......I never knew, or bothered to research , the breeding habits of lace monitors......it might explain an aperture I saw recently mid way up a mound a few months ago.....I didnt get a pic but might visit the site again soon to check.........it wasnt a rough dig, just a clean hole about 6" diam about 1m above the ground........probably too big a hole for a Paradise parrot .....I didnt dig around and was too spooked to poke a stick into it.....I'm not good with snakes ............and left the place somewhat perplexed

[SamDavis]

As mickw says "sooo cool". I've never understood people's fascination with reptiles, but after reading this thread I might be beginning to get it.

[mattymeischke]

Totally cool, indeed.
Do they only dig to lay eggs (including test digs), or do they also forage for termites?
Are there any tricks to spotting them?

[Danny]

Here's some pics from my new books coming out in a few months. It's purely a nesting thing. Pre-used nests have the telltale indentation.

[Tiaris]

Unfortunately the only way I find them is after I've driven a spade through the mound to disect it & this busts the nest and at least a few of the eggs/young get broken/cut/killed. The first sign I see of them is broken eggs. Now that you've put the photos up I've often seen that telltale indentation on mounds in the bush & now know to look out for it when collecting termites. Thanks.

[SamDavis]

Amazing how crucial termites are to such a broad range of species, yet the general public just view them as pests to be exterminated.