14/10/2026
LET’S TALK BLUE-TONGUES!
The resident bluey showed up this arvo, so let’s take a closer look at one of our familiar Australian reptiles.
When threatened, a blue-tongue will open its mouth and display its bright blue tongue. This is a defensive display intended to deter potential predators. They also may hiss, flatten their bodies, and flick their bright blue tongue continuously.
Despite their short legs and relatively slow movement, blue-tongues have strong jaw muscles and teeth capable of crushing hard food, including snail shells. They can also deliver a decent bite, so best to leave them be and always given space.
Their diet includes a variety of plant and animal material, including flowers, fruit, insects, snails and slugs. Fantastic garden buddies and very common amongst Australian households so please avoid snail baits and insecticides.
They give birth to live young! Unlike reptiles that lay eggs, female blue-tongues give birth to live young. The young develop inside the mother and are born fully formed, with each baby already looking like a miniature blue-tongue.The young are independent shortly after birth.
They are cold blooded.Blue-tongues rely on external heat sources to regulate their body temperature. You’ll often see them basking in the sun to warm up. So be mindful on our roads and also in our gardens.
What can we do to help our blue-tongue lizards?
There are plenty of simple things we can do to make our yards safer for these important native reptiles.
Keep cats and dogs away. Even pets that are only curious can injure or kill a blue-tongue.
Check long grass before mowing and look carefully around garden edges, sheds and fence lines before using lawn equipment.
Avoid harmful garden chemicals. Pesticides, snail baits and other chemicals can poison wildlife, either directly or through the food they eat.
Watch for them on driveways and roads. Blue-tongues may bask on warm surfaces or move slowly across roads, putting them at risk of being run over.
Provide a shallow dish of fresh water, particularly during hot, dry weather. Place it somewhere accessible and safe, and clean and refill it regularly.
Leave natural shelter where possible. Leaf litter, fallen branches, logs and rocks provide places to hide, shelter and forage.
Be careful when gardening. Check under pot plants, sheets of tin, timber, garden materials and other objects before moving them, as blue-tongues may shelter underneath.
Avoid unnecessary relocations. Moving a healthy blue-tongue away from its familiar surroundings can do more harm than good. If it is safe, leave it where it is. Contact your local wildlife carer if you have any dramas.
Give them a way to move through your yard. Avoid blocking every gap along fences, and allow access to suitable shelter and natural foraging areas.
Protect their food sources. Blue-tongues eat a variety of invertebrates and other small food items, so a healthy, chemical-free garden can help support them.
Slow down and look before you step. Blue-tongues can be surprisingly easy to overlook, particularly among leaves, grass and garden debris.
Our backyards, our community, our country, are part of the habitat that native wildlife depends on. A little understanding and a few simple changes can help us share that space safely. 😊
