It’s the time of year to see reptiles out and about on the roads again. 
Bearded dragons (pogona barbata) do threatening push-ups as they try to frighten off approaching cars. Or they lie as flat as possible like this one is doing, before scuttling quickly away.
Australian Water Dragon (Intellagama Lesueurii) photo by Ry Beaver from iNaturalist.org
It sounds like another fairy story, to have dragons at the bottom of the garden.
We have two types, the Bearded Dragons and the Water Dragons.
As a child I was always convinced that the water dragons were tiger snakes. Usually all we saw of them in the river was the long striped tail disappearing into the water. I developed a special “snake” scaring swimming stroke for the Murrumbidgee that was a modification of normal breast-stroke. It involved using your hands to clear any scum or sticks from the water in front, and a loud splashing kick at the back that was guaranteed to startle any wildlife.
I was unaware that snakes don’t have ears, but lizards do. Continue reading
