Within 5 minutes of walking into the bush, there before me was this reptile

Bretrick

Bretrick

Well-known Member
Location
Perth Western Australia
Blue Tongue Skinks are Reptiles, cold blooded, so they need the sun to heat their blood before than can resume a normal day's activity after a cool night.
Time of this sighting was 9am and the ambient temperature was 20C with a coolish breeze.
This Tiliqua rugosa species sports armoured scales, loves to eat snails and is monogamous, with a lifelong marriage.
The marriage works because they go their separate way after mating and reunite each year. :)
In the morning, they flatten their body, increasing the surface area exposed to the sun for faster heating.
BLUEY 1.JPG

Bluey 3.JPG
 

Blue tongue lizards arent deadly or poisonous and you don't even have to go far into the bush to see them - often make their homes around overgrown areas of suburban gardens. We had one live behind our shed for quite a while
 

Bretrick said:
Blue Tongue Skinks are Reptiles, cold blooded, so they need the sun to heat their blood before than can resume a normal day's activity after a cool night.
Time of this sighting was 9am and the ambient temperature was 20C with a coolish breeze.
This Tiliqua rugosa species sports armoured scales, loves to eat snails and is monogamous, with a lifelong marriage.
The marriage works because they go their separate way after mating and reunite each year. :)
In the morning, they flatten their body, increasing the surface area exposed to the sun for faster heating.
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View attachment 478848
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Great photos and thanks for the information. I wonder if they also swim. Just curious.
 
astralcat said:
@Bretrick – I know you love nature and being outdoors exploring but I have to ask……doesn’t the fact that there are deadly snakes around bother you? And probably other poisonous animals? You seem to be expert at navigating around them. Keep up the postings - I really enjoy them and learning about the environment in your country.
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Thank you. Most snakes are long gone before I come across them.
The last snake I saw was well over 12 months ago.
It too was sunning itself in the early morning so was not very active at all.
Dugite - Spotted Brown Snake
This one was sunning itself on the road. I was able to get very close, and it showed me no aggression.
Dugites are very dangerous and if untreated after being bitten, humans can and do die.
Though the last death from a Dugite bite in Western Australia was a 41-year-old male, in 2014, he was bitten multiple times on his hand and arm while trying to grab and kill the snake.
He refused first aid and collapsed and died 45 minutes later.
This one was about 800mm - 30" long
Dugite.jpg

Our poisonous animals are rather small in size, spiders, only the Sydney Funnel Web spider can kill a human.
Funnel Web Spider.jpg
Scorpions, Cone Fish, Blue Ringed Octopus, Stone Fish, Inland Taipan, Blue Bottle Jellyfish, Tiger Snake, Red Back Spider, Irukandji Jellyfish, Box Jellyfish, (10/10 deadliness).
A lot of these are in the sea. I stopped going into the ocean when the movie Jaws came out.
Crocodiles? They live in Northern Australia, a long way from me. (If up north, never stand on a riverbank. A Crocodile will kill and eat you.) :ROFLMAO:
Great White Shark? Will kill and eat you. It is a fallacy to say they are only in deep water.
They frequently patrol along beaches; they will eat you. :ROFLMAO:

Great White Shark.jpg
 
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