Shackle Road Self Guided Drive - Stop 1 - SA

Stop 1 - Nature’s incubators

This is the home of the common termite (Nasutitermes exitiosus).These mounds appear to be soft on the outside but contain extremely hard tunnels and chambers, constructed by the worker termites, using a cementing compound contained in their saliva mixed with soil and cellulose.
The interiors of these mounds, which are a constant 25–30°C, also play an important role as incubators for goanna eggs. The heath goanna (Varanus rosenbergi), Kangaroo Island’s only goanna, lays up to fourteen eggs in early February in the base of mounds. The hole created by the strong claws of the female goanna is miraculously repaired within a few days by termites.
Can you see an unusual cone-shaped mound of soil in the clearing?
Termites break down plant material and cycle nutrients through the environment.
In September the young goannas hatch and dig themselves out. Ravens (Corvus coronoides and C. mellori), Australian magpies (Gymnorhina tibicen) and grey currawongs (Strepera versicolor) prey on the young as they emerge from the termite mounds.
Goannas are unable to regulate their own body temperature internally, and need to bask in the sun for at least half an hour (longer on overcast days) before becoming active. Please drive slowly as they may be sluggish and unable to avoid your vehicle.
The trees in this area are mostly swamp gums (Eucalyptus ovata) and are found in the poorly drained areas of western Kangaroo Island. Their botanical name refers to their oval shaped leaves. Swamp gums, along with manna gums (Eucalyptus viminalis ssp. Cygnetensis) are the preferred browsing trees of the koala (Phascolarctos cinereus), which was introduced to the island in 1923 and commonly found in this area.