Meet our bobtails

If I could save one wild creature, it would surely be the blue-tongued shingle-back lizard (commonly referred to as bobtails). They look ancient, true protozoon, primordial, prehistoric, relics of the stone-age, reminiscent of the time when the dinosaur roamed the earth.

When we moved to the Australian countryside, not having met this little creature before, I got the fright of my life, convinced that I had just seen a puff adder (venomous South African snake) in the long grass around our shed.  I was soon to fall hopelessly and totally in love with this queer looking reptile. 

John Edward Gray classified this little creature Trachydosaurus rugosus in 1825.  Since then, they have been reclassified as Tiliqua rugosa and they are burdened with more names than any other lizard or reptile would tolerate.  Names vary from Bob-tailed Blue tongue, Shingle-back, Stumpy-tailed lizard, Blue-tongued skink, Bogeyes (Boggi), Pinecone or Australian sleepy lizard, two-headed skink or seemingly whatever takes the viewers fancy.  We are honored in our corner of Western Australia to share space with the subspecies Tiliqua rugosa rugosa (the Western Shingle back or Bobtail). 

Our bobtails (not to be confused with bobtails, the fluffy bunny kind or the kitty cat ones) are short-tailed reptiles and as a rule slow moving, their armored, fortified, scaly bodies (not unlike that of a crocodile) calling to mind army tanks on a slow cruise navigating their way around and over rocks, up-hills, down-hills, short bends, mud, desert sand.  Although, don’t befooled by their short legs and tiny little feet, the latter very much like little hands with dainty fingers.  They can move incredibly fast on their strong little legs when they have to scurry across sun-baked sizzling hot surfaces (especially tarred or gravel roads, heat-radiating rocks and bare soil).  Whereas they usually do a kind of army crawl, their pale bellies in the dirt, they raise themselves off the ground when it is just too hot for a natural belly massage.  And not to add insult to injury (they might not like being compared to crocodiles), with little first-impression difference between their short, stumpy tails and the heavy, triangular heads, confusing predators and humans alike, palindrome (of the reptile world) comes to mind.  No quantum physics required to figure out what gave it its name (the stumpy tail and blue tongue in a bright pink mouth, silly). Contrary to some belief, they do not shed their tails when threatened.

This confident looking creature (in attitude much like the African warthog with its assertive aerial-like tail or the cheekiness of the BMW 3 series for those of you in cities, and old enough to remember those cars) are nowhere close to the size of a crocodile, if I can return to that touchy subject.  Their total length is only about 40 – 60 centimeters (approx 18 – 25 inches), and they weigh in at about 400 grams (0.8 lbs) as teenager (round about three years old), maturing after that with a weight of up to 1 kilogram (2.2 lbs).    

Bobtails (being reptile) hibernate during winter, during which they draw on the fat stored in their stumpy tails. The female has a wider tail than her male counterpart; his tail also seems a bit flatter. They love slugs and snails, and also live on insects (beetles, caterpillars, crickets), carrion, spiders, small animals (mice), even small lizards, vegetation, plants and flowers (omnivores). They will also feast on various human foods (mince, sausage, chicken, egg, tomatoes, banana, mango) as well as cat or dog food if within reach. An interesting fact is that they do not chew their food; they crush and crunch it with their strong jaw muscles, especially beetles and snail shells.  Proof of their crunching habit can be found on my walls and veranda furniture, splattered tomato pips from squashed cherry tomatoes. 

They have many enemies, primarily humans who poison snails in their gardens, one of the biggest threats to these adorable creatures.  Lawnmowers are also high on this list, as they cannot be seen in long grass and do not readily move away.  I have heard people insisting that they will, but they are proved wrong each time.  They are easy roadkill victims (traffic) because they sun along the roads.  Dingoes, pythons, foxes, eagles, kookaburras, raptors, poisonous snakes and large goannas add to the list.   Apparently cats can threaten the young and dogs adult bobtails, but that has not been proved on our property.  My Doberman pinscher and my four cats live in total harmony with them.  The cats will sit right next to them, enjoying the sunshine, and will not even blink an eye with the bobtails moving around them all the time.  Our Doberman, feeling himself duty-bound to investigate any movement on the property, will sniff at the bobtails, kiss it on its head (the same he does with our cats) and will leave them in peace – whether they sun themselves on the verandah, enjoy their meals at the back door (supplemented from the kitchen, mainly egg omelets, cherry/grape tomatoes and mango-pulp) or whatever activity they undertake around our home.  They are part of the family and come up to the backdoor to check on my progress with their meals.  They have excellent navigation skills (they ‘taste’ or ‘see’ with their ever-moving tongues in the wind and whatever is in their path, smelling with their nostrils/tongues) and they skillfully move around our sheep and their hooves without any danger.   

They love sunning themselves in open areas, especially along roadsides, detrimental to their continued existence.  They love the shade in the heat of a hot day and we check under our vehicles or shady patches on our driveway prior to driving off.  When it is just too hot outside, they come and line-up on the back verandah, especially under my pottery kiln (not in use) which they somehow find cool and safe.  Like all reptiles, they do not generate their own body heat.  Their body temperature depends on their surroundings, which explains their sun-basking in the early mornings or on cooler days.  They need a body temperature of 32 – 35 degrees C in order to digest food and move around freely.  They will remain inactive if their body temperatures are below 30 degrees C.  On the other hand, temperatures of higher than 39 degrees C could be dangerous, which they will counteract by finding shelter under rocks, under shrubs and plants (my lavender and rosemary bushes are big favorites); anything that gives protection from the unforgiving sun.    

Bobtails are monogamous, mating for life, and will return to each other year after year for periods of 20 years and up, which means that they live in the same area for life.  They will roam an area of about 1 square kilometer, no mean feat for such short legs.  It is well documented that they can live up to 30 years, but I have heard of bobtails living to double that age (mixed reports and as yet not verified by me, so I do speak under correction).  But whatever their age, for such a tiny creature it is a wonderful and long life and the magnitude of cruelty by kidnapping bobtails (for sale on the black market) or merely killing them because you can, cannot be expressed in words or any calculable formula. 

Mating can get quite rough, initially mistaken by me as fighting.  I really believed they needed anger management but nature proved me wrong (again).  The females are often scarred which in a way makes it easier for me to sometimes identify them.  Food dictates the breeding pattern, which could be one baby every year or every second year.  Baby bobtails are born live (breeding September to November), and are quite large (they might weigh 200g).  The newborn immediately consumes its own afterbirth (placenta).  They stay with their parents for several months before moving ‘out’ but they remain in close proximity to their own clan.  The male eats less while parenting, enabling him to remain alert and ready to defend his family.

Bobtails might appear aggressive, especially when they hiss loudly at their predator with their blue tongues and wide open mouths.  They also flatten their bodies, giving them a larger and wider appearance.  Fortunately this action does ward off a lot of danger, but it is really not much more than a show (although, its bite will hurt).  They are not aggressive, rather gentle, and will only bite when they are attacked or when they are frightened. They do not like being picked up, and if you need to pick them up, they do not want their feet dangling in the air and will do a little air-swim to express their discomfort.  When they shed their scaly skins, their movement is impounded, and usually they will be absent during this period.

To try and help protect these wonderful and amazing creatures, it is essential that there is a good supply of rocks and logs around for them to hide/live under; piles of leaves or mulch; plenty ground covers; grass; low shrubs; twigs etc.  We find that they love piles of wood and branches, and they consider corrugated sheets their winter accommodation.  You sometimes find them harboring in abandoned burrows. Plastic, of course, is poison to the environment and life, full stop.  But it is an invention that will most probably stay around for a long time and we need to use it wisely.   Nature does not have teeth for it, and cannot consume it.  It can also not live under it.  But if it is there, it will annex it as a home (spiders especially).  Bobtails find it the perfect sauna, and also the perfect raincoat.  So, if, for some or other reason, canvas or plastic sheeting is required (temporarily) to cover wood or machinery or equipment, it is critical that there is enough space and openings for the bobtails to enter/exit and to breathe.  I put stakes and stumps of wood all around any covering (even when it comes to Hessian and shade-cloth) and I lift corrugated sheets just off the ground, to ensure that the weight of the rain will not force the plastic/canvas/cloth/sheets down on the bobtails and smother/kill them, a fate worse than gas chambers.  If it is cold and wet, they are not able to move out of the way (they need a minimum body temperature for that, remember!) of heavy rain or water streaming through under the canvas or plastic sheets. 

In this day and age, no-one should be using chemicals against garden pests.  There are excellent natural, non-harmful alternatives (the internet is a goldmine, a bottomless pit – just do a search).  I believe all nature should live and if I do have to sacrifice a plant or flower or vegetable or two, so be it.  I have sympathy for the snails, but wisely realize they are part of the natural food chain and I can count the snails I have seen on our property on one hand; the bobtails, parrots, birds etc are helpful gardeners.

Bobtails are also susceptible to flu which gives them runny noses and clog up their eyes.  And it will kill them if not treated.  Fortunately our bobtails ‘report’ to the makeshift hospital on the back verandah where I supply them with unlimited mango pulp and juice, heat lamps and water when flu strikes.  And we keep the eyes clean with warm water soaked cotton wool (large ear buds).  With food and care, they can recover well.  Sometimes, depending on how far advanced the flu is, they need antibiotics (injections).  Getting advice from a reptile park is imminent to their survival. 

We absolutely love, adore and respect them.  So will you, when you meet them and get to know them.  So allow me to introduce you to our reptilian extended family members (who live in total freedom, but always around – and sometimes even inside – our house): Dr Livingstone, I presume (on first sight, in the long grass, that is truly what came to mind); Margo (Polo, yes, she’s a girl); Vasco (da Gama, of course; who also proved to be a girl); Gustav Nachtigal (true philanthropist); Magellan (the bronze brown mottle scales reminiscent of the dark Renaissance oil paintings and rich Spanish influenced colors); Columbus (Christopher, the perpetual explorer); and our baby Asterix of last year (honoring my Viking forefathers, and just because he is so adorably cute).   The latest one to join our family, is Oliver Twist (of Charles Dickens fame – because he was so extremely thin and sick when he joined us ex one of the neighbors; he is on his way to recovery in Reptile Hospital).