12 November 2006

Geckos, Dragons and Skinks Around My Place

Here are some more reptiles, but I think you won't mind these as much as the snakes! I've only put the most common types in - the ones you would see without even looking for them, otherwise I'd be here for a week doing this post, there are so many. Hope you enjoy them

Asian House Gecko. These are not native, but they eat cockroach eggs and they are rather cute. They're the only gecko that makes a noise, which is "chuck, chuck, chuck". I have a couple inside at the moment whom I have named Einstein and Newton.


This one is also a house gecko - a native and doesn't make any noise. Again, we have them inside and welcome them because they eat mosquitoes.






Frilled Lizard. These aren't common here, mostly in the tropics, but they are found in Greenbank, where I live. However, that is the southern-most they are seen.










Eastern Water Dragon. As their name implies, they are found around water - lakes, ponds, rivers. In Mt Coot-tha botanical gardens, there is an enormous number of these animals. To see this amount of dragons brings to mind a mini-Jurassic park!






Bearded dragon. These are pretty common in gardens and can be seen sunning themselves on tree trunks or fence/gate posts.






Lace Monitor (goanna). Australia's largest lizard. These things can get very large. They scavenge around picnic areas and rubbish receptacles and they are very fast. If one comes towards you, you hit the ground, because they race for the nearest tall thing if they are alarmed, be it a person or a tree! The reason for this precaution is that they have very long, sharp claws for climbing.


Bar-sided skink. These will sometimes come inside also, but mainly they are found in the garden.





Copper Tailed skink. Very common in the garden sunbathing on a rock or log.






Grass Skink. Also very common.






Martin's Skink. Very pretty skink which can also come inside, but is found in the garden.







Wall Skink. As their name suggests, they are found on outside walls and fences. Very common.










Blue Tongued Lizard. This is a pretty big lizard but not as big as the goanna, which is found in gardens. There is also a pink tongued lizard which is also fairly common in gardens.




From Wildlife of Greater Brisbane. Published by Queensland Museum.






13 comments:

TJ said...

~~~shivers~~~
You have two in your house??
:-O
those skinks look like half snake half lizzard...
do they ever crawl across your legs at night and scare the bejeebers out of ya??

Puss-in-Boots said...

Tammy, no they're cute little fellas. And they'd be more scared of you then the other way round.

I had a cat who use to bring them inside and for some unknown reason would deposit them in the shower stall. So before I had a shower, I'd have to remove 3 or 4 skinks first! lol

Gattina said...

I like these mini crocodiles, although we don't have them here in Belgium. But they are in Italy and I remember my first cat loved to play with them and once even got a tail ! I also saw them on the Canarian Islands (Spain) laying in the sunshine on rocks. But it's hard to take a picture of them, they move so quick when they hear a noice. I really love your reportage about animals of your country. Still my favourite is the Kookaburra (?) and of course Oscar the Computer seat freak ! Thanks for your comments on working Arthur !

Merle said...

Hi Robyn ~~ Very interesting and what a fun word "skink" is. I'm afraid I wouldn't like them inside either.But then I have artificial snakes in my garden that frighten ME, not the birds. Thanks for your comments, what with Margaret's starve the lizards, & stone the crows and Peter's bewdy newk and now you with fair go mate, corker, strike me pink and cut snake.
Hell folks O/S will think we are just a bit strange. Someone also mentioned bonza. What fun !!
Take care Robyn, Love, Merle.

Puss-in-Boots said...

Gattina: Hi glad you enjoyed the post and yes, those little fellows are quick movers! Oscar hasn't caught any yet, I think he's too slow!

Merle: Well, we "Strayans" can understand one another!! Seriously, it's fascinating to think how language and words evolve. Every country has their idiosyncratic sayings and so on. We'd probably be puzzled in the US or Canada. Anyway, hope you had a good weekend.

Mountain Mama said...

My gosh, you are a brave lady. I am so afraid of reptiles that I just don't go where they are.
I would be afraid they would get into my bed or chair.
I imagine that because you have lived with them you understand them so aren't afraid.

Carole Burant said...

I always find it so fascinating how very different our nature is from yours...the only time I've seen geckos, etc, around here is if they were bought at a pet shop:-) I can't even imagine seeing them running around all over the place outside! Even your frogs are different!! lol Take care dear Robyn xoxo

Meow (aka Connie) said...

I just love lizards, they are so beautiful. Thanks for sharing the photos.
I love that you have 2 geckos in your house, they are so cute !!
My cat continually plays with the little drop tail skinks ... poor little things. There is something in them that must be poisonous, as during skink season, the cats always seem scruffy and not quite 100% well, and they are always playing with and eating them !!
Have a great week.
Take care, Meow

Lee said...

Haha...I had to laugh when I read this, Robyn...I've got a skink that refuses to be an 'outside' skink! I've already put him back outside one. He took up residence behind my hot water system a couple of weeks ago. He's about 12 inches or so long. Today, I walked back inside and one of my cats, who had spent the morning sleeping on top of one of my bookcases, was staring at my floor rug...and there was 'Skinky'...so I grabbed a spade and my trusty broom..picked him up to put him back outside, but he slid off the spade and is now behind a cupboard in my back area! Shama, my cat discussed the whole episode at great length with me!

Puss-in-Boots said...

poMM: These little critters wouldn't crawl into the bed. They love running around tops of the walls and the ceilings. No, I'm not brave. They don't bite! :-)

Pea: I nearly did the post on frogs, but I like reptiles, so I did them instead. Not that I don't like frogs, I do, so that'll be a future post :-)

Lee: Yes, Oscar was giving me grief last night because he caught sight of either Einstein or Newton on my bedroom wall. But I wasn't having any of that. He's not allowed to touch the geckos (or the skinks or the birds or the frogs or most things for that matter). He's pretty good, too. The only thing I object to is when he presents me with a very lively rat!! Yuk :-(

Meow (aka Connie) said...

I wish I could convince my cat not to touch the little skinks (they are only a couple of inches long) ... I take them away from her, when I catch her in the act, and scold her for what she is doing ... what else can I do !! Fortunately she has never caught a bigger one. We haven't got many here, anyway, only the little ones.
Take care, Meow

wazza said...

Gidday Robyn, Thanks for visiting my blog. Lee had asked (I thought) about a restaurant at the Tower Mill Motel and I hadn't been there for a long time so I went onto Google and sure there is a restaurant on the top floor of the Tower Mill. Am I thinking about the wrong place???
I have three Asian Geckos in my place and a number more outside. There are two who are always on the outside of my kitchen window and as the light inside attracts the small moths the geckos have a "ball" feeding on the moths.

SnowWhite said...

a while ago we had a blue tongue peeking out from under a palm frond on the ground much to ashleys surprise she thought it was a snake lol, laughed my butt of at her poor kid had to change her daks. The were piling up the palm for a fire lol.
xx
shona