Warming Up: Spring Brings Lizards Into the Spotlight
There are many ways to tell when spring has sprung in the Murraylands and Riverland. Depending on your exact location, it could be the wattle blossom or the swooping birds overhead. At this time of year many of our region’s native lizards start to come out of hibernation and can often been seen along our roads and tracks.
Read on to find out about 3 curious lizard species you might be able to spot as the weather continues to warm up.
Shingleback Lizards
Is it a sleepy, a bobtailed, a stumpy-tailed or even a two-headed lizard? Your answer might depend on where you grew up as there are many common names of the Tiliqua rugosa. Also known as the shingleback, this blue-tongue lizard is common throughout southern Australia, including the Murraylands and Riverland.
Shinglebacks are curious creatures that have a monogamous partner but live independently for most of the year. During spring, they come out of hibernation and reunite with their mate for the breeding season. The male following his female friend around for around 6 weeks before nicking off back to bachelor life alone.
Central bearded dragon
The superpower of the central bearded dragon is its ability to change its body to appear bigger and tougher than it really is. When threatened by a potential predator, these lizards call the bluff of their opponents by making themselves appear larger, darker and spikier. They can change colour to blend in with their environment and even make their beard look black to ward off their enemies.
These sun-loving lizards are often spotted basking on fence posts, rocks and trees soaking up the sunrays. Found throughout central and eastern Australia, the central bearded dragon is at home throughout the Murraylands and Riverland region.
Sand goanna
One of the largest lizard species in the Murraylands is the sand goanna, also known as Gould’s goanna or the racehorse goanna. These speedy reptiles ranges from around 1 to 1.5 m in length and have a distinctive pale tip on the end of their tail. Not a fan of extreme heat or cold, sand goannas dig burrows in the ground to escape from the elements.
Pregnant females actually lay their eggs inside active termite mounds, rebuilding the structure around their eggs. The termites regulate the temperature and humidity within their mound, providing the just right environment for the eggs until they are ready to hatch.
We’re lucky to have a number of other native lizards in the region including the endangered pygmy bluetongue, heath goannas, legless lizards and geckos and you can help to conserve our reptilian friends by being careful when driving. Where it’s safe to do so, slow down when you see lizards crossing the road so they can get safely to the other side. You might just be saving a shingleback’s lifelong partner.
