Greetings fellow Foxies,
                                     I got a surprise yesterday when I lifted a sleeper in the bush and discovered a hibernating snake. It was only about 30cm long, as thick as a pencil, and very quiet.
My first impression was that it was a juvenile dugite or gwardar, but after extensive web searching am inclined to think that it is an adult Suta gouldii (Goulds black headed snake).
The difference is pretty important as this snake only grows to this length, is very retiring and only mildly venomous (i.e. no problem), whereas the adult others are highly venomous much larger and more assertive.
Apparently Goulds black headed snake differs from juveniles of the other in having a white line/area in front of its eyes but I find it difficult to tell.
Accurate differentiation can be achieved by examining the anal scales, but I lack skill and enthusiasm to check on a live snake.
I have seen quite few small snakes with black heads that were delivered to the office or under old pieces of corrugated iron in the bush, and feel a bit guilty about calling them all baby dugites.
Juvenile snake mortality is high. Some people have told me that they have seen a dugite in Foxes lair but in the 30 years I have only seen small ones and a magnificent Stimsons python.
Yet some people refuse to walk in Foxes Lair in summer due to perceived snake danger.
They are more likely to die from a car accident driving there, or blood clots from sitting in the house.

Greetings fellow Foxies,
These are my favourite spiders. Hairy, thrilling and relatively harmless. Huntsman spiders are in the Sparassidae family and are the large ‘hairy scary’ spiders that absolutely terrify people when they scuttle out from behind a curtain or the sun visor in the car. In reality, Australian huntsman spiders are a fascinating group with 13 genera and 94 described species. Many huntsman spiders live socially in large family groups with the mothers showing extraordinary maternal instinct. These large, hairy grey-brown spiders have flattened bodies and are found throughout Australia, preferring to live outside under the bark of trees or under rocks and logs on the ground. They are typically long-legged (females can reach sizes up to 15cm across the legs) with forward facing legs, and are known for their scuttling sideways gait. These sure-footed and agile spiders are nocturnal and sometimes seen indoors at night, hunting for insects. They have keen eyesight and are good hunters, running down and pouncing on their prey. Despite their size, they are not known to inflict a serious bite on humans.
Recently I noticed a webby suture in bark of a dead sheoak, and opened it to find a mass of baby huntsman spiders, and then the mum that was huge but quite docile as I edged her into position for a photo.

Recently I found a huntsman female guarding her egg sac on the underside of a piece of bark. She kept her ground despite the movement. Note the lovely pattern of silk attachment threads.




The wonderful huntsman species below that I found on a rock sheoak trunk was amazingly well camouflaged. As it was smaller, with a domed carapace, and the abdomen is not as flat, I suspect that it was a badge huntsman; Neosparassus Sp.
These have a conspicuous colour pattern un the underside of the abdomen, but I couldn't see the underside.

 These have a conspicuous colour pattern un the underside of the abdomen, but I couldn't see the underside.

Greetings fellow foxies
The wolf spider (genus Lycosidae) is the most commonly seen spider in the garden. They are less visible in the bush during the day, but their gleaming eyes are visible at night by torch light.
Wolf spiders are robust, agile hunters that live on the ground in leaf litter or burrows. They have eight eyes, four small ones lower down on the face, two large eyes above looking forward and two large eyes further back looking upward.

 The surface colours are mostly browns and greys with some distinctive surface markings. One pair of eyes is unusually large. Lycosids live in burrows in the ground but frequently leave their burrows to stalk ground-dwelling insects. Females sometimes drag an egg sac behind them or carry their spiderlings on their back. Spiders occupying their burrows will often be seen just inside the entrance, which is sometimes fitted with a door or a collar of leaf litter.
The huge mum below with her spiderlings were nearly sucked up by the vacuum cleaner today.

Other spiders may be mistaken for wolf spiders. To see this group click here