On a hot day, driving along the EP you are likely to feel like you are playing a video game with the amount of Lizards slowly crossing the roads. I lost count after about 10! They are so funny to see because they kind of waddle along not paying any attention to the hundred's of cars flying along the freeway at 110km an hour! The have so much character, everytime I saw they I could help but think about them being the stars of a Disney movie...
I didn't get to see the "blue tongue" although I was tempted to poke this guy with a stick to see if he would stick his tongue out but I lost my nerve, beside i was standing in the middle of the road....
The below information is from
enchantedlearning
The Blue-tongued skink (also called the blue tongue lizard) is an Australian
lizard. This solitary reptile spends its days
eating
and sunning itself. At night it rests, sheltering in fallen logs or
leaf litter. It is a relatively shy animal, but can put up a bold front
when cornered; when it is threatened, it puffs up its body, sticks out
its long, blue tongue and hisses. The blue-tongued skink has a life span
of up to 20 years.
Anatomy: Blue-tongued skinks have a long, bright blue tongue,
tiny legs, smooth overlapping scales, and a short, thick tail that
stores fat. The tail can break off when grabbed by a predator; it can
partly re-grow. This skink grows up to 23.5 inches (60 cm) long.
Diet:
Blue-tongued skinks are omnivores (they eat both meat and plants).
They eat small animals (like insects, worms, snails and rotting meat)
and plant material including flowers, fruit and berries.
Habitat: Blue-tongued skinks are native to
Australia. They live in a variety of habitats, including
grasslands, forests,
rainforests, and
deserts. They are now found all over the world as pets.
Reproduction: Blue-tongued skink give birth to 6 to 12 live
young. Newborns are about 4 inches (10 cm) long and weigh about 0.5
ounce (14 grams). They are mature at about 2 years old.
Classification: Class Reptilia (
reptiles), Order Squamata (
lizards and
snakes), Family Scincidae (skinks), Genus Tiliqua , Species scincoides.
