However for myself and many a snake catcher we are suddenly knee deep in Dugites and their relatives. I am getting calls daily now from terrified citizens with snakes in homes, gardens and one inside a BBQ.

My daughter Georgia even caught a Western Brush Wallaby, or Black-gloved Wallaby (Macropus irma)! Not what was expected near Reid Hwy.

Time to tidy those backyards to discourage snaky encounters!

Our Snake Avoidance Training for Dogs is just one approach to bringing this number down, to help dogs and dogs owners cope with the real risk of snakebite. Find out more at www.animalark.com.au/snake-avoidance-training-for-dogs.

I love getting involved in wildlife science issues and we are fortunate that Dr Tracey Moore is studying our training technique. It's not new and has been used for years in the States to teach dogs to avoid snakes. She hopes to find out if this technique (e collars) can be used to effectively prevent farmers' dogs from taking the toxic 1080 baits. These baits are used to control feral predators.

Dogs are after all a domesticated species – generally easy enough to work with, it just gets harder when you add venomous snakes into the training mix. Dogs have been around humans for at least 15,000 years but most breeds as we know them today only developed within the last couple of centuries. Dogs are more susceptible to snake venoms than cats. My local vet told me their antivenom supplier has had a five fold increase in demand over last year – so far this snake season. Is it because it's warming up earlier, or are their more dogs or more snakes – who knows?

We are training in Ravensthorpe on 24 October and Hopetoun on 25 October. We are training at North Beach on 1 November, 22 November, 5 December, 12 December and 19 December.

I once had a long lived African Chameleon called Colin that got to meet John Cleese in a Schweppes advert and even had a starring role in a Peugeot TV commercial! All back in days of VHS (I've still got the show reels). New species of Chameleons are still been discovered, albeit often miniature ones. The latest species are often tiny and camouflage as dead leaves on the forest floor. Several species have a life span of only 4 months, probably the shortest lifespan of any 4 legged vertebrate. More time is spent in the egg than as a hatched creature. One particular species is annual, reaching maturity at around 8 weeks. Soon after mating the males die and after laying her eggs the female follows suit. The entire species exists then only in buried eggs! The tiny little hatchlings emerge after the dry season ends - all on their own never seeing a parent!

As an active roaming hunting species the problem occurs when they overwinter or start to breed. The spiders then set up home and favour a shallow depression like a fuel vapour line opening causing headaches and recalls for motor manufacturers.

Ford cars fitted with 'spider screens' are to be rolled out in North America and included in the global launch of the 2016 Ford Focus RS

DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME - How not to kill a spider resting on your fuel tank funnel:
www.bbc.com/news/video_and_audio/must_see/34374121

I may well be wrangling on a film set with the stars once again, even if just for the day! I just can't say what, where or when yet.

Sunday 1 November at the Henderson Centre, North Beach.

May be sold out if you don't pre book!!!

These small creatures, endemic to Australia, are rarely more than 20cm long including the tail. In movement they tend to sway from side to side. They live in burrow retreats in some of the most arid parts of central Australia where water is a scarce commodity. They have developed a unique method of refuelling - they will rub up against the dew on plants like spinifex or simply by using the dew that forms on their own bodies, and absorb by hygroscopic action along deep narrow channels towards the gaping mouth. Alternatively when it rains they can stand in a puddle and capillary action channels water upwards also to the mouth. If that is not remarkable I don't know what is.

They feed almost entirely on a few species of little black ants consuming many thousands in a single day. Devils are very hard to spot unless you see them on the road, they blend in so well with the sandy soils. Look for the ants first, they prefer Iridomyrmex sp, and you may spot a devil!

Range is throughout much of WA, southern NT, western Qld and much of SA. Maturing at around 3 years of age females deposit 3 to 10 eggs in a carefully dug air filled chamber. These hatch a few months later. Very unusually for a lizard they appear to eat their egg shells. Life span of up to 20 years is reported.