Blue Tongue Lizards

[@Flesh_Wizard]

I love the idea of blue tongue lizards opening their mouths to flashbang kookaburras 😂😂😂

[@aliicialuvsu]

"not to skink shame" is the best thing ive heard all day.

[@skinkshamer]

thats the inspo for my old username 😂

[@danquaylesitsspeltpotatoe8307]

So just like all blue things! Amazing!

[@shakeelali20]

Saw a Bluey at the local servo today just chilling out on the forecourt. The moment i tried to to approch it, the little bugger scurried straight inside the doors. The attendant was like "dw mate, thats Lizzie, she works here". True blue indeed, probably just wanted a pie tbh.

[@the-Backyard-Naturalist]

She's definitely been sipping too many blue slurpies

[@shakeelali20]

@@the-Backyard-Naturalist How did I miss that! She's probably the reason the machines are always out of order!

[@Dave_Sisson]

In a way she does work there. She eats the creepy-crawlies that no one wants to have in places that sell food.

[@JohnGardnerAlhadis]

Humour as dry and unforgiving as the Outback itself.

[@stoopidapples1596]

Crazy that the rare egg-laying mammals monotremes (echidnas and platypuses) live in the same place as the rare non-egg-laying blue-tongue lizards.

[@the-Backyard-Naturalist]

Australia really is the upside-down land

[@theboythatdid2495]

if I remember correctly blue tongues still produce eggs they just hatch inside rather than laying them. still odd though that these types of animals all live in Australia.

[@magarnicle]

Like mammals?​@@theboythatdid2495

[@seanmckelvey6618]

I'm Australian born and raised, and I love reptiles, but this is the first time I have ever heard of a 'land mullet'. I agree, it's a fucking brilliant name.

[@connordarvall8482]

Met one in Lamington National Park. Thay seem to prefer rainforests.

[@glennllewellyn7369]

Yeah, friggin awesome name!

[@boxhead6177]

He might be larping a biologist... but some actual biologist looked at a lizard and thought "Fish"

[@Beaut_Beau]

I found a blue tongue in our garden a while ago, it felt like such an honour, like after several years of planting and gardening and growing, we had finally made it inviting enough for them to move in ^_^

[@skinkshamer]

oh this is just pure! 🧡

[@ashtoncook4538]

"warmest day in Launceston" 😅

[@medea27]

That looked positively tropical by Tassie standards!

[@connorelliott7960]

giggling rn 😂

[@ejstacey]

it's about time Mildred got what was coming to her

[@the-Backyard-Naturalist]

She's a nuisance, always stealing lemons from over the fence

[@rationalbacon5872]

​@@the-Backyard-Naturalist If your lemons are on my side of the fence, they aren't yours anymore. And perhaps Mildred wasnt keen on home invaders illegally migrating onto her property.

[@guyincognito566]

Mussolini, Stalin, Mildred.

[@the-Backyard-Naturalist]

@@rationalbacon5872 I've seen her jump the fence, moves like a ninja, that woman.

[@char2304]

Land mullet 😂

[@lauroralei]

I love the cycle of discovery: OH NO A SNAKE. Oh it's just a cute blue-tongue, hi friend *flares and hisses* OH NO A BLUE TONGUE

[@ColinFreeman-kh9us]

Great stuff

[@Fists91]

I've had the opposite, going for a jog and hear the signature shuffle of a bluey, look down and see a big ol brown snake stuck between me and the rock wall less than an arms length away. I politely didn't break stride and left him to wake up in peace.

[@trinefanmel]

'Secondly, they assume a larger defensive posture by mimicking the most terrifying thing known to man: a pancake.' 'Sentient sausages' I love you humour!!!

[@seastand12]

We have a breeding female living in the backyard for the last few years, its almost a full time job keeping the little ones alive and off the road afterwards but its definitely an honour worth having.

[@2blackcatz426]

So great you look out from them.i watch out for and keep a pond for the resident lizards etc for dogs,cats etc and the other day wondered who will do this for them when im gone😂

[@skinkshamer]

Very cheeky choice of the Blue Danube to play, very cheeky. 👏

[@meowrmrow]

they fucking flashbang. oh my fucking god. i love them

[@keef78]

🤣omfg im dying🤣

[@jess53nz]

"sentient sausages" 😂😂😂😂 Another great video!

[@medea27]

You may not be a biologist or zoologist but you certainly have the sense of humour... out in the field, when we'd make a trip into the nearest country town for supplies there'd inevitably be a sighting accompanied by a call of "land mullets in their natural habitat" from someone! LOL Love our Blueys... fortunately I've managed to save a few from the dreaded spade when I identified them in people's gardens. Amazing how accommodating home owners become when you explain that they eat roaches & snails! 💙

[@again5162]

Not good for any animal to consume cockaroahes or snails in a suburban area due to poisons used. It's fine in the country where less poison is used.

[@medea27]

@@again5162 Actually you'll find there are generally less toxic chemicals used in suburban areas because of the proximity to kids, other people & pets.... in the country they bring out the nasty stuff to take on noxious weeds, mice, rabbits, foxes, etc because they can keep most baits or sprayed areas away from the general public. Most people who have a Bluey-friendly garden in the suburbs are happy to stop putting poison out once you explain all the animals who can become collateral damage, including their own pets.

[@dumoulin11]

"Land mullet" is the best thing I've heard in a while.

[@Droidzi]

excellent presentation - perfect mix of facts and humour, thanks

[@Nihilore]

i have an Eastern Water Dragon living in my backyard at the moment (he loves my pond) and he's the most chill lizard, i love that little guy

[@KyleWithTheWild]

You have mastered funny yet educational videos on topics many people probably don’t search for but because of the way you deliver them I bet your retention analytics are through the roof! Well done!

[@the-Backyard-Naturalist]

That's what I'm aiming for, the old double L, Learn 'n Laugh.

[@ThisIsARubbishName]

I didn't know that shinglebacks were blue tongued and related to the bluey! We had a few of them at mums - they lived in our drain ramps and they'd give us a fright. And a big shingleback who lived in the compost pile.

[@kvltofsobek90]

I have one of these snausages as a pet, work with dozens of others, and have researched them extensively both out of personal interest and for the sake of keeping them. Regardless, I watched this in its entirety

[@spiralpython1989]

You’re not alone! I have kept (captive bred) blueys since I was in primary school (50 years ago!). Awesome creatures! I had one recently pass away at 32 years 😢. And I watched to the end too. Fab vid.

[@PinataOblongata]

@@spiralpython1989 32! That's so cool. I didn't know they lived so long. A shame it passed, but that is a good innings for a creature on the smaller side.

[@1MoreL1E]

Would love to pick your brains if either of you have time! I've been looking at getting one for a while but want to set it up with the best chance of success. Any tips for a new reptile enthusiast and blue tongue fan?

[@1MoreL1E]

@farmplantsandseeds Currently saving up to do just that :D

[@GubanaNatureRefuge]

Another awesome vid. Thank you for uploading.

[@Miakel]

My dad has kept sleepy lizards in the yard since the 80s and no exaggeration there are a couple that would be 40 years old.

[@aspx4581]

another little tip for anyone who wants to make their yard a bit friendlier to bluetongues: leave a rag draped over the side of any deep basin like those that might be under your outdoor taps. those little legs aren't so good at scaling ceramic walls so the rag acts as a ladder to climb out if they fall in.

[@BookofMac8737]

the shingleback is my personal fave as a west aussie, I love them. they have also broken into my house twice which is very funny and makes me feel like a parody of an Australian

[@loggerT123]

I like the simple title

[@the-Backyard-Naturalist]

Trying to avoid arguments about whether they're a skink or a lizard

[@guerilla_food]

@@the-Backyard-Naturalist correct me if I'm wrong, but are skinks not lizards?

[@williamcampbell9859]

@@guerilla_food AW FK here we go

[@Miakel]

When they bite, its like a pair of pliers being squeezed really hard on your hand. They do let go but they will give it a few seconds

[@geradkavanagh8240]

Yep Actually bred some when a kid in Melbourne. Best way to make them let go was place your hand down and stop moving. Even the babies have a vicelike grip.

[@grantodaniel7053]

Outstanding video mate, love your cheeky brand of humour too. We have a resident bluey whose appearances are always heralded by raucous squawks of alarm from our galah. Because we can hear him getting around in the undergrowth, we have dubbed him Russell. 😂❤👍

[@Arkani0007]

i saw mostly bobtails growing up, and loved the buggers. now i'm in launceston and yes, thats an accurate summers day!

[@jackaufenhand5710]

I love how many euphemisms you came up with.

[@etmax1]

Well thank you for setting me straight on so many things related to these adorable little Aussies. I used to put snail bait in our letterbox because our mail was being eaten, I shall do that no more. Our dog has ended the life of 3 blue tongues and is now no longer allowed outside without supervision. Hopefully we're no longer a contributor to their demise.

[@john_barnett]

got a couple of them that live under my slab, they're so cute and slow

[@Trudy.Villain]

I so love your work. Keep it up 😊 I have a blue tongue under my shed, no baits here, he has visited inside a few times. Love seeing him in the garden and then scurry under the shed.

[@julz_7773]

used to catch plenty of these around Perth as a kid. We called them "bobbies" other defence methods they have include a pretty strong bite and pooping when picked up

[@gazza116]

brilliant.i was mowing grass for a relation whos husband had recently died and uncovered what i thought was a snake, and yelled snake.as i sat and looked i realised it was a legless lizard by its eyes it was about 1.5 feet long.

[@AwesomeFish12]

Happens a lot, takes a second to realize what it is. The ear holes are also a dead giveaway that it's a legless lizard, snakes ears are covered by scales.

[@marksmusicCC]

Think I have around a dozen in my back yard , once they know you are not going to hurt them they can be rather friendly for lizards

[@liamh2001]

Adelaide Hillsman here, I would love to get some of these in the vineyard! XD The amount of snails we get would fill a bluey fuller than a state school.

[@scotth9681]

True Blue 😂

[@georgiasumby6092]

I love this channel

[@lolcatz88]

Awesome! Made my week!

[@bentran4575]

This video just popped up in my recommended and I'm glad it did! Your commentary is hilarious yet informative. You just got a new sub!!

[@chickennugget6684]

"stuffed in a sock and taped inside a dvd player" now this is definitely something i didn't expect to hear today

[@OnCountryWithMick]

Beautiful little buggers. I had a property maintenance business for a few years and sadly there were some that didn't get out of the way of my lawn mower but if I did see them in time I would always stop and try and get them somewhere safe. I did on one property find half a dozen babies that I put in a plastic pot until I had finished and then released them back safely into the gardens.

[@ChaplainTappman]

Land Mullet? Sounds like a a misnomer to me. Buddy is party front AND back.

[@ravakahn]

I get to handle blueys at work sometimes and they are so cute. One of the western blue-tongues, Mick, likes to cuddle against people's necks and sit on their shoulders. Lizards are seriously underrated for their ability to cuddle. That said, you should never handle a wild lizard, only ones accustomed to human contact

[@donfinch862]

Haven't smiled so much all day, week even

[@kristidavidson999]

Bernard, we love you 😊

[@21opps]

“ITS A SNAKE-oh wait, it’s a lizard.” “Not just any ordinary lizard, silly. It’s a blue tongued lizard, a kind of skink.”

[@Tybold63]

Really fascinating with the door bells (waiting for a huge man answering "you rang!") and the absence of motorbikes must be a blessing.

[@lilsprugga]

Great and educational video. Well done! Blue Tongues are the best! Last one I saw was in a relatively safe spot. Now I want to put out shelter for one and hope a snake or spider move infirst.

[@psivewri]

We always left out water dishes for the blue tongues in our yard :)

[@saspredydious9295]

I sooo love your narration! Clever humorous, informative!

[@CasualFehPlayer-rf6sl]

“Not to skink shame” I’m dying 😂 Just out of curiosity are you ever planning to do any more plant videos? I absolutely love the one about gumtree’s as a gardener it would be cool to see some more of them, maybe the Wattles they’re an interesting group too of course I’m not complaining the animal ones are still great too 👍🏼

[@the-Backyard-Naturalist]

I've done one on eucalypts! Also thinking about a guide to common Aussie trees/plants

[@CasualFehPlayer-rf6sl]

@@the-Backyard-Naturalist sorry I typed wrong I meant other plants besides Gum’s but yes the video on them was great sorry for any confusion it might have caused. Either way I’m looking forward to all your future videos keep up the good work👍🏼

[@amateurmakingmistakes]

Aww! Great vid! About 60 years ago (as a 10 year old), I used to collect these as pets. Mostly, they were pretty docile and would calm down within 10 seconds of placing one on my forearm. One day, about 50 years ago, I found one on a bicycle track and placed it on my arm, but it started hyperventilating. I put it down away from the track and now, watching your video, I just hope they can avoid extinction.

[@thripples1]

Found the answer to John Williamson's song asking what's True Blue 💙

[@thepinebarons]

Yeah mate true blue, great country Australia 🇦🇺 luv ya work

[@WaynesGoneWild]

Excellent video! 🤗

[@JoFreddieRevDr]

The previous house II lived in had one of these in the garden, it was quite relaxed with us and I never saw it go into a defensive display, used yo wait for us by the back dour with our cat. Had been worried that the cat may have gone for it, but they seem to have been good friends. I also use to hand feed it

[@rhyshagerty135]

I've moved at least 50 common blue tongues off the road or other trafficked areas where they would be injured or killed (always moved them to where they were heading) and never seen their defence display, I don't know if it's my body language or their individual character but I've always found them quite intuitive some even present ticks they want removed.

[@smithy2]

Had 1 show up in our backyard about 3yrs ago, we definitely don't have a snail problem, or strawberries

[@angreedarmor1396]

Fantastic work as always mate, funny asf and informative, I've got a few resident shingles in my garden in WA and I love them Much love xx

[@ravenfeader]

Never met a blue tongue that wasn't cool they loved the veggie patch on the farm where they were most welcome . Stumpies are just as cool being solitary until breeding and you imagine that they have been recorded staying with the same partners for decades to breed .

[@liamdayetti]

Best content

[@cate01a]

gets rid of all nearby snails? say no more, im a fan

[@barbararowley6077]

We have a young Eastern Common living in the front yard. Does such a good job keeping the snails under control.

[@bruceismay5440]

Amazing as always, can’t wait to see more. There are a ton of living things that you can see anywhere in this country that are t talked about enough, like these fellas and our birds, ants and spiders

[@BOB-ud4gy]

Bonzer! As the proud parent of a captive born and breed Northern Bluey I absolutely loved this video! We live in WA...Washington State, USA not Western Australia unfortunately. Thanks for this beauty of a video!

[@thefineartofboredom]

Had two Easterns. Got Harry as a bub 7 years ago, and his niece as a bub just last year. Sadly my boy had a penchant for climbing and ran away around November :( I’m sure he’s happily repopulating the local surrounds though!!

[@ooblah10]

Excellent scripts in your vids mate deserve 10x the subs you have

[@the-Backyard-Naturalist]

Thanks dude!

[@jamesatherton1853]

Launceston got a mention!!

[@glennllewellyn7369]

Yippeee! No wait…never heard of it. Bega, NSW

[@SnaccDaddyy]

Land mullet is my new favourite skink

[@ilovegreen0150]

I get these in my backyard. Great for keeping my snail numbers low.

[@robg9256]

Mate plz keep making more content 🙏 love your stuff

[@benw5691]

Thank you for another great video!

[@ostrelephant]

wonderful channel

[@ambrosiatea]

I love your work, I get so excited when a new video pops up. I grab husband and we watch it together

[@the-Backyard-Naturalist]

Love to hear it!

[@JoelReid]

Less known is why their tongue is blue. Their BLOOD is blue. They have copper in their blood that turns it blue. There is even a bobtail sub species in Perth which has green blood. Edit: Before more disagree: look up "hemocyanin" which is the copper equivalent of the iron based haeomoglobin..

[@coasterblocks3420]

I’m calling BS on this comment. Every blue tongue my housemate’s dog has destroyed has had red blood.

[@critterc0rner]

Source: made it up. There are no known lizard species with blue blood and only skinks under the genus Prasinohaema have green blood hence the Latin name literally meaning “green blood”.

[@Fe7Ace]

Blood viewed through skin is really good at preferentially capturing longer wavelengths of light. Longer wavelengths are reds which get absorbed by the haemoglobin, and shorter wavelengths are blues/violets which tend to escape back to our eyes. This is why red blood can look blue through skin, and we see this on humans too.

[@JoelReid]

@@coasterblocks3420 blue tongue lizrds still have haemoglobin, but they also have hemocyanin, which is copper based and add a blue (or in one case green) tinge to the blood. so yeah, you called BS a bit too quickly and without proper research. meanwhile i can appreciate my biology lecterer who wrote their pHd on the topic.

[@JoelReid]

@@Fe7Ace blue tongue lizrds still have haemoglobin, but they also have hemocyanin, which is copper based and add a blue (or in one case green) tinge to the blood.

[@matthewtayl0r]

When I was a kid there was a bluetongue living under the external doorstep to my bedroom. One day I came home to find he'd fallen into our in-ground swimming pool and couldn't escape. He was exhausted from treading water. I lifted him out, and somehow his largely expressionless face still managed to convey a look of "What took you so long??!"

[@partylikeits1066]

I like that I can hear the smile in your voice hehe

[@JonarusDraconius]

I have a personal favorite nick-name for Bluetongues (I have 4 as pets, 3 Easterns and 1 Blotchy - Not including the Wild Eastern that lives in my garden) - That being 'Potato-Dragons', because they have the attitudes of Dragons, but the bodies of Potatos! :P

[@blackletter2591]

Thankyou for this. I needed some clues on how to look after my garden's resident bluey. I'm not sure how it will find a mate though, unless it can dig under the gate.

[@medea27]

Well it got into your garden somehow, so I'm sure it will find a way back out if it doesn't find a suitable garden-mate to move in 😎

[@williamcampbell9859]

I love this channel so much

[@Lara-rj5fi]

Another brilliant episode and animals 👍

[@tarshnottrash1483]

I love your videos so much … honestly there’s not enough 😆. I have a pet bluetongue, he loves fruit, snails, mealworms & my toes!!! Not so sure snail bait is enough justice for smugglers imo

[@jacobscrase7079]

Banging content every time, love your stuff man

[@lacien5624]

And then there's the pink-tongued skink, which looks pretty much identical to blue tongues except that their tongue is pink. I imagine the discoverers of it felt they were actively being trolled when they thought they found a new blue-tongue only to find that the tongue was in fact as pink as in any other lizard, and just named it that out of spite for the creature.

[@sarahrichardson3692]

Loving your work!

[@abekane7038]

True blue!

[@Cassie-oe8iu]

Love your nature videos please keep up the great work.

[@tabbitee]

'Land mullet', eh? I sea what they were going for there!

[@madmanmax120]

I'm looking forward to potentially seeing more segments on our lizards. Waterdragons and frillnecks especially.

[@the-Backyard-Naturalist]

I'd like to, just need to find them in VIC

[@Enthusiastic-Trainspotter-BNE]

​@@the-Backyard-Naturalist Visit other states¿?

[@the-Backyard-Naturalist]

@@Enthusiastic-Trainspotter-BNE I need time off to do that

[@Enthusiastic-Trainspotter-BNE]

ah@@the-Backyard-Naturalist fair enough

[@CJ_1871]

4:06 was goated joke tbh

[@Peleski]

One thing that would have been interesting to know is whether their tongues have any blue pigment (which I think not).

[@grantb8168]

Throughout my life I've had people wake me up in the morning just to inform me there's a Bluey sun baking in the backyard. Blueys are an event, even if you saw one the day before. They're the one specimen of Aussie fauna not difficult to pet, regardless of whether they're hissing, pancaking, tongue-thrusting or Usain Bolting away at warp speed. I love these big fellas and so regarding poachers, the Creative Justice should involve any form of violent death as response. Just sayin'. So, Backyard Naturalist, another spectacular to add to your bow. Thoroughly worth the wait. Kudos. Oh, I was wondering, when will we see a B.N Doco on your spirit animal - The Laughing Kookaburra? Somehow I suspect a comedy gala filled with laughter. 😊

[@myunknownland9272]

Our snakcatcher told me snakes stay away from the blues...so i feed them.

[@EarJuice]

How do I tell the super large one to stop moving in and eating the cat food. He keeps bringing frens too. Now they get leftoovers on their on plate in the garden.

[@the-Backyard-Naturalist]

They go nuts for dog/cat food

[@Celeste-in-Oz]

I did not know they were that fierce with each other! Makes sense, I’ve seen the tiny garden skinks really get stuck into each other 😬

[@ForTheBirbs]

Another masterpiece!

[@RyanNichols888]

Another top quality video mate :D Love the blueys