Blue Tongue

This lizard is well known I think

To me and also you

His gaping mouth is vivid pink
His tongue a brilliant blue

He is a true blue Aussie
Despite his All Blacks tongue
Beautiful and glossy
As he lies there in the sun

He slowly and with quiet dispatch
Will eat the grubs and snails
That infest your vegie patch
When pesticides all fail

But being useful and iconic
Is no defence to cats
Nor to careless drivers
Who kill them with a splat

The Blue Tongue is a national icon. It is harmless and inoffensive and probably our best known and most loved lizard. For most of the year this reclusive and well camouflaged creature remains well hidden but in spring they seem to be everywhere as they emerge from their winter dormancy to feed and mate. This is also the time they are at their most vulnerable as they get squashed on the roads by inattentive drivers and consumed by the dozen by domestic cats and dogs. William Dampier may have considered them foul to the point of being inedible when he first dissected one in 1699 but the average cat does not share this opinion. A Blue Tongue is a slow moving and defenceless creature relying on bluff and camouflage for its survival. A gaping pink mouth and vivid blue tongue are not much defence against a cat.

Blue Tongues are very useful in the garden where they happily consume garden pests such as slaters, grubs and snails. They will also unfortunately consume snail pellets with fatal consequences so think carefully before you are too liberal with the snail pellets.

We have many kinds of Blue Tongues in Australia including rough scaled and stumpy tailed “Shingle-backs" and the sleek and glossy classic Blue-Tongued Skinks but they have many things in common as well as their blue tongues. They mate for life and have about 25 young each season which unlike most lizards are born live rather than as eggs. They also live for decades. So look after these special creatures by providing them with a lizard friendly environment with plenty of hiding places, logs to sun themselves on and of course a large variety of plant life which in turn will support many insects and other creatures. The Blue Tongue will eat them all as well as many of the plants. Did you know that the Blue Tongue is about 500 times more resistant to 1080 poison than a fox or a cat due to its high natural concentration in Western Australian plants? And of course do what you can to protect them from cats and dogs although with cats this is very difficult. You will in turn be rewarded by the sight of a garden full of these gentle, beautiful and interesting creatures who will work very hard and effectively at protecting your vegetables and prized flowers from pests.