It was a scramble down the hill, and we only
found more small skinks and Marbled Geckos on
the descent. At last we came to an open grassy
plain - perfect habitat for Shinglebacks. However,
no large reptiles were observed in this area, and
soon enough we made it back to Dan’s car. Not
long afterwards, on the drive back, we spied a
long, brown blob sitting in the middle of the road.
Another car was barrelling toward us, but luckily it
swerved out of the way of the slow-moving lizard.
We jumped out to find a very clean adult
Shingleback (Tiliqua rugosa), which proceeded to
poop in an almost projectile manner all over Dan!
We checked the animal for ticks and let it go after
some quick photos. Dan let me take charge of the
wheel, and soon he was spotting bearded dragons
left and right as we cruised back through Terrick
Terrick. geckos and pygopods alike.
Before long we reached a small grassland in
central Victoria, and began searching for Curl
Snakes and Olive Legless Lizards (Delma
inornata). We soon found a baby Eastern Blue-
tongue (Tiliqua scincoides) along with many
Boulenger’s and Common Dwarf Skinks (Morethia
boulengeri and Menetia greyii, respectively) which
were sheltering under densely-packed tussock
mats. The grassland would have been close to
bare only a few months prior, as instead of burn-
ing off, the managers had chosen to use sheep to
prevent the grasses from overgrowing. I carefully
looked under a piece of cover to see a dwarf skink
dart away, and just as I was about to replace it,
my jaw hit the ground. A juvenile Striped Legless
Lizard (Delma impar) - a federally-listed endan-
gered species! I called Dan over, and we gazed at
the beautiful little reptile. I managed to get some
pictures of it licking its eye, a characteristic trait of We left the lizard to go about its business, not at
all perturbed that we missed out on Curl Snakes
and Olive Legless Lizards. Another road close by
held records of both species, but it was heart-
breaking to see the roadside absolutely destroyed
by farming machinery, and some tin that I had
placed back over a year ago nowhere to be seen.
However, we powered on, and after I almost got
Dan’s Commodore bogged in mud, we cruised
through Kamarooka in the hope of seeing some
basking herps, to no avail. The setting sun
streaming through the trees on the side of the
road still proved to be a magical sight. As with the
end of every herp trip, we had an obligatory stop
at the Eaglehawk McDonald’s, filling our stomachs
after a day I will not soon forget anytime soon.
The Striped Legless Lizard is sometimes confused
for a juvenile brown snake. The decline of this
species has coincided with destruction of its
grassland habitat for agricultural and urban
development, and remaining populations are
considered small and isolated. In fact, 99% of
south-east Australia’s grasslands have been
destroyed since European settlement. In 2015-
2016, the species’ sole remaining habitat in
Canberra, opposite Exhibition Park, was turned
into a caravan park. Thankfully, in this instance,
conservation group Bush Heritage Australia
intervened to save the estimated population of
200 Striped Legless Lizards. Around 800 roof tiles
were used as ‘heat bait’ to attract the lizards,
which were relocated to a reserve 75km away.
Eastern Bearded Dragon
( Pogona barbata ).