blue tongue

my wife called me at work today to say a lizard had made its way into the laundry and vanished.

I immediately suspected a blue tongue.

When I got home I found him (or her) wedged under the freezer. They love places like that ... and the motor is warm too ... ouhhh

We'd been doing a little clearing in the back yard (and so too had the neighbor) so we'd probably ripped up its habitat.

So not wanting to let it either get stuck in the laundry or get mauled by a cat we lifted up the freezer and I caught it. We put it in a box while we had dinner, and thought perhaps it might like a slice or two of the steak we were cooking ... seems it did.

So after dinner we took it down to the bottom of the hill where there is a little remnant bush and let it go.



Seemed a little sluggish (well it was night time and he'd just eaten)



but soon enough it was off into the bushes...



and hopefully to continue a long and happy life.

If you've never seen one up close they are quite cute, one from another day:



and have the most interesting details, like the little scales which cover their ear holes


this fellow I did not relocate, but left lying around in my yard. He (or she) didn't seem to mind the photography session, but some weeks later I found him ripped apart by some local kitty cat.

I don't like cats in Australia, they are responsible for the deaths of many native creatures here.

Pitty one can't get rid of the local cats....