Key facts:
- Lizards look after the garden by keeping the slugs and snails away
- Lizards are often found near pools and ponds
- Lizards eat slugs, snails and insects
Australia is full of furry, feathered, and scaly animals, not found anywhere else in the world. Meet some common Australian animals and improve your English language skills with .
Learning notes
- (pdf - 708kb)
- Watch with subtitles and translated transcripts by switching your language in the top right navigation.
Transcript
Have you ever seen a reptile in your garden with a big blue tongue?
It’s a blue-tongue lizard.
They love eating snails and other insects, so are helpful to have in our gardens.
Living With Aussie Wildlife
Lizards
Australia is home to hundreds of different types of reptiles.
Snakes and lizards can look very similar.
If the reptile has legs, it is most likely a lizard.
If you can see an ear, then it’s also a lizard.
Lizards are common in Australian backyards.
Blue-tongue lizards can be found on the east coast and South Australia.
This lizard is around 60cm long and often found in gardens.
They are usually grey or brown with thick dark stripes across their bodies.
And of course, their tongue is blue!
If you live on the east coast of Australia, you might also have another lizard in your backyard called a water dragon.
It has a long tail and strong legs to help it swim.
Water dragons are around 90cm long.
Lizards are often found near pools and ponds.
They love to soak up the sun while lying on rocks.
This warmth helps them digest their food.
Lizards eat slugs, snails and insects.
You should avoid using snail bait in your garden because it can kill the lizards too.
Blue-tongues and water dragons are shy.
They are not poisonous.
They will not harm you if you stay away.
It is best to leave them alone.
Dogs and cats can attack lizards.
When a blue-tongue lizard is attacked, it may drop its tail.
Please call a wildlife rescue service if you find an injured lizard.
Quiz time!
Water dragons can...
..dance, talk or swim?
Water dragons can swim.
It’s great to have lizards in your backyard.
They will look after the garden by keeping the slugs and snails away.
We love living with lizards!
Credits
Living with Aussie Wildlife is a project made by SBS in partnership with and .
