Saturday 30 January 2016

So, This Happened This Week

I got a bit of a fright as I walked into the lounge room this week. 

I saw a shape at the door. It was moving. But wedged in between the screen door and the glass door. 

Was it a huge rat? It kind of looked like it.

Closer, no, not a rat, reptilian. OMG, is it a snake? (Every Australian's first thought... ) The dogs had something cornered in the yard the other day under some wood and I'd been worried it was a snake.

But no, there's legs! YAY, there's legs.

Oh, it's a blue tongue. Our largest skink


I'm not sure what it was doing in there. 

A pretty big one too. Pregnant maybe? I hope so. 

We went out to take the screen door off to help it get out. 

I hadn't seen a blue tongue for quite a few years. We had one that sunned itself out the front of the house for a while, but the neighbour's dogs cornered it in their yard one day, and killed it. 

I wasn't sure if it would eat the skink. It didn't. 

I hope I can keep this one safe from my dogs. I like to think that's she's out there.




Update Feb 23- I found a youngster in the yard today! Well my dog found it in the grass, so I guess she was a she.


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12 comments:

Brona said...

I love blue tongues too, but they can be a bit frightening up close and cornered.

Deb Nance at Readerbuzz said...

Oh my! Wish you could ship her to me. I've had a blue-tongued skink in my school library for the last nine years and she was seven when she was given to me. Now Lizzy has developed what looks like a tumor on one side of her jaw. She is inactive, and I'm not sure how much longer she will be with us.

Jackie McGuinness said...

I guess I`m the only one shuddering here!

Laurel-Rain Snow said...

Oh, my, that freaks me out a little bit! Glad it wasn't here...LOL. Thanks for sharing, and here is MY SATURDAY SNAPSHOT POST

grammajudyb said...

I'm with Jackie and Laurel - eww! I am not a fan of reptiles of any sort. We have critters in Wyoming too, but usually not in residential areas. Although we have seen a few snakes in our yard, mostly the harmless garden variety.

Louise said...

This one was very calm Brona, we were too once I knew it wasn't a snake.

How funny that you've got a blue tongue Deb. This is at school I guess? How did you come by it? It's an Australian blue tongue, or do you have American blue tongues too?

You were only the first to shudder Jackie!

Laurel- I was only freaked out til I worked out what it was, just because it was such an unusual place for her? to be.

Judy - I really don't mind lizards, and am just so grateful it wasn't a snake- we don't have any harmless ones here.... I love that things like this can still be living in residential areas, although our property backs onto a park, they used to be much more common thing to see when I was a kid, it's nice to know that they're still out there, and capable of living with us. I've even seen an echidna in my street once!

Joy said...

We have a skink in Missouri but it doesn't get that large!

Carol said...

How cool! We don't have anything comparable in Ohio.

westmetromommy said...

Awww, it's kind of cute! My parents frequently find reptiles sunning themselves in their yard in Arizona--but they usually end up being Gila Monsters, and that is not so good!

Deb Nance at Readerbuzz said...

I really wonder how our blue-tongued skink came to be here in America. I've never seen one in a pet shop. I got my skink from a friend who always finds pets in need of a new home. Our Lizzie seems to be a little worse each day.

Anonymous said...

I love blue tongues too. We've had about three residents over the years. I know they've changed from their appearance but I'd love to know if one was the parent of the next. This year is the first we haven't seen one. I'm not surprised as we've completely pulled up their main home, our front yard. Hopefully, with new plantings one will be back next year.

Vicki said...

Cool!! I'm wondering how she got between the doors.