Being a Londoner, all things reptilian provoke a brief paralysis in me during which time I assess just how close to death I am. Anyway I don't know a lot about these things but I am pretty sure if it's a fat snake with legs, it's a Blue Tongue Lizard. They're supposed to be very gentle and many people have them as pets. So when I saw this thing in the back garden yesterday morning, sunning itself beside the Aloe Vera, after my heart started beating again, I grabbed the camera. My lens only goes up to 55mm so I was less than a foot away from it. It's a shame he didn't stick his tongue out - it really is a lovely blue. Maybe if I had waited long enough... but I was a little anxious to get it over with. I had to keep telling myself that it wasn't going to spring forward and sink two giant fangs into the side of my neck.
The things I do for a blog photo.
5 comments:
Very well taken. The blue tongues are one of the few lizards that are friendly and gentle. The tongue comes out when it feel threatened - then it hisses to scare.
Good capture. It can certainly can be a shock when you discover one of these in your backyard. They're great for keeping the snails and insects away from your garden if you can deal with them shocking you with their appearance every so often.
Sydney - City and Suburbs
Much as I hate most slithery/crawlie things I don't mind blue tongues. It is a shame it didn't have its tongue out. Haven't seen one of these for ages.
I have never even heard of a lizard like this that looks so much like a snake. I would be afraid to go back in my yard. Great photo!
I agree with you about the self pep talk to get close to the thing. But if it eats stuff that want to eat my flowers, I might learn to put up with it. I wonder if the dogs would, though...
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