Reptiles in Western Australia

Australia has been called "The Land of the Lizards"

Aborigines can judge the health of the country by observing the amount of lizards it contains.

'Gecko Gert' story.

When threatened, these slow and gentle

Stumpy-tailed BLUE TONGUE skinks

frighten off predators such as Eagles, Kookaburras and Snakes by hissing and opening its mouth widely.
A bite may hurt but it's not poisonous.

Mouse over the image if you dare!

Some blue tongues are more aggresive than others.

Found in many WA backyards.

View the series 1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Keep still or move slowly then wait for the

Skink
Egernia napoleanis

to come out and soak up the sun's blood-warming energy.

More skink pics s1 | s2 | s3

WESTERN BEARDED DRAGON
Pogona minor

A lovable personality and calm nature have made this native of Western Australia an extremely popular pet throughout the world.

Beardies subsist on vegetable matter and insects and can live up tp 10 years in captivity.

Highly valued by the Aborigines as a delicious source of protein.

PERENTIE

When frightened these powerful. burrowing, egg laying, fork-tongued Monitor Lizards will run and climb the nearest tree (or human).
"Australia's largest lizard"

Western Brown Snake or Gwardar - Pseudonaja nuchalis

A dangerously venomous snake whch can be very fast and aggrressive when threatened or disturbed. It is capable of injecting a large dose of highly toxic venom.

In the last 30 years, the Gwardar is responsible for six of the last ten snakebite deaths in Western Australia.

But, in comparison, the common honeybee causes an average of ten deaths per year in Australia.

South-western Carpet Python - Morelia spilota imbricata

A large non-venomous snake found in southern regions of Western Australia. Pythons kills small mammals and birds by constriction until they suffocate.

So named because their colouring resembles the patterns of old fashioned carpets.

Legal as pets in W.A.

Brian Bush's Homepage

Snakes Harmful & Harmless - specialising in reptile education.

The information on Brian's site is orientated towards Australian and particularly Western Australian reptiles.