Blue-tongues are shy, gentle, harmless creatures that love to bask in the sun. They find shelter under rocks, in woodpiles or in discarded drainage pipes. Their vivid blue tongue is just a “bluff” mechanism to frighten off potential predators. So, if threatened, they’ll poke it out, hiss and look as intimidating as possible. They also use their tongue to “smell” the air for food. They don’t like being handled so it is best to just let them be and observe from a distance.
The
female of the species tends to hang around home base but the male will roam
across an area the size of approximately 15 house blocks keeping visiting
several “ girl friends” on his rounds.
Unlike most reptiles, Blue –tongues give birth to up to 25 live young
(usually between December and January and four months after mating). The baby
Blue-tongues (about 14cm long) can look after themselves straight after birth
but are very vulnerable and can easily fall prey to Kookaburras and other
predators. If extremely lucky, they will
live up to 30 years in the wild.
To
help them survive, don’t ever use snail or slug pellets (if they eat snails
that have taken the snail baits, they will, themselves, die). Ensure that there
are some un-manicured areas of your garden (ideally planted with endemic native
grasses and shrubs). Also watch out for them when you are in the car – they
love sunning themselves on black tar roads and driveways. Most importantly,
keep dogs and cats away at all times, they are very bad news for these docile
creatures. To me, the occasional glimpse
of a Blue-tongue is always a source of great joy and wonder. They provide a
living connection to this timeless land.
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| Juvenile Blue-tongue |
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