Bluey Temperatures

[Scotts1au]

Hi all

For what it is worth, I thought I'd have a little fiddle around with some temperature data from a couple of different sites where blueys occur naturally in Aus. I think it always helps to understand a little more about their natural environment, even just to put some numbers around what most of us probably already know to some degree.

I've just chucked in some graphs demonstrating the key differences between a couple of sites as below:

Kununurra Western Aus - home of Kimberely Northerns
Katoomba NSW - home of Alpine Blotchies
Tatura Vic - home of Northern Vic Easterns
Frankston - home of Blotch and Lowland Blotchies

The following just shows mean max and min temperatures for each month, which correspond to day and night time temperatures.



Something for Blotch



For those interested the background data and a lot of other stuff can be downloaded below:

http://au.geocities.com/scotts1au/Bluey.xls

Enjoy
Scott

[jasjmm27]

EXCELLENT! I have had trouble locating charts like this for a while now (haven't looked TOO hard, though). This should help a lot...have to check on the "regular" northerns and Rottnest Shingles now. Thanks Scott!

[Fatal_S]

So Blotches temps fall way low of what a typical Kimberly would be used to. Neat.

And might I add, 7C as a minimum?! I hate you guys.

[Scotts1au]

Worth noting that those temperatures are mean (average) daily figures and don't reflect the extremes, just indicative information. I figured that this was more relevant.

Actually we get several nights a year in the -6C range which equates to about -12 C at ground (bluey) level, about 30-40 lightish frost a year but no snow or anything like that. Day temperatures are typically in the teens in mid winter and sunny.

The variation data is included in the excel file, which might help to understand the extremes that blueys cope with.

Of course the microclimate associated with their brumation site is all important to survival in the Southern areas, not so much near the coast though.

Scott

[Fatal_S]

-6C? I've been dealing with -40C, without factoring windchill! We're finally getting sun, and I'd love to take the guys out, but they're just starting to wake up, and it's still -10 to 0 out without WC. At least I know even our summers aren't going to fry my guys.

[Scotts1au]

You can have it.

At least here going to the shops isn't a near death experience.

Scott

[Geoff Gates]

-6C? I've been dealing with -40C, without factoring windchill! We're finally getting sun, and I'd love to take the guys out, but they're just starting to wake up, and it's still -10 to 0 out without WC. At least I know even our summers aren't going to fry my guys.

I live further south than Scott but on the coast. No -6 degrees here.

Typically in winter we might get an overnight low in the range of 5 - 10 degrees Celcius. Daytime 13 - 15 celcius with a few days above or below that.

[Lisa]

Great info!
I'll also add that Katoomba is probably the warmest of the cool places that alpine's inhabit. Going further west over the ranges to say Blackheath, Medlow Bath, Mt Vic onwards to Lithgow (which is another hour away from Katoomba but still part of the Blue Mts) they sometimes get snow and that's a rarity in Katoomba. That's why I think it's misleading to call them alpine because the Blue Mts is not alpine country.

I agree about the micro-climate bit, too, because while Katoomba has cooler days, it gets far colder at night and warmer during the day lower down the mountain towards the east where alpine's don't inhabit.

So they must just prefer a generally cooler climate allround rather than extremes between day and night temperatures.

[Scotts1au]

I think one of the things out of this is the temps that were discussed some time ago to initiate breeding in Blotchies.

I think the discussion went that 17 C or so should be the target to keep the temp to. I might revise that to 15C for at least 3 months.

Scott

[Blotch]

we're talking about the temp to brumate them arent we? 15 - 17oC would be the highest temp - lower for brumation - I'd say (from that) 12oC would be the highest.

[Scotts1au]

Just to be clear, I'm talking max daily temp. Ave temp would be much lower.

Colin H has posted previously from memory that his is aware of people breeding Highland Blotchies in Qld, which must be pushing the limits.

Anyway I don't I'll have a problem here in Vic.
My winter temps here seem similar to the warmer parts of the Blue Mountains but summer temps significantly hotter.

Pretty hostile environment that the Northerns come from.

Blotch maybe you need to put a Darwin stubby in the tank to make it feel at home.

Scott

[mom22wins]

Okay, anybody have a conversion to Farenheit?

[Scotts1au]

http://www.wbuf.noaa.gov/tempfc.htm

you can plug in the temp of either and converts.

Scott

[Blotch]

scott - I don't think you'll have a problem in winter. i remember when i lived in Shepparton, It was cold over winter, but summer was stinkin' hot!

[mom22wins]

http://www.wbuf.noaa.gov/tempfc.htm

you can plug in the temp of either and converts.

Scott

Thanks Scott! I used to have this address. Good to have it back again!