Tropical Totem Gallery

I can hardly expect followers of my blog to get excited about cockroaches, but here goes anyway. I've observed these critters scurrying about my garden for some time.  Shiny and resplendent in fashionable black and white, these are true Australian Native Cockroaches, living rough outside in the garden in all seasons, never needing the comforts of a warm home, (my home that is).  Australia has hundreds of native cockroaches of all sizes and colours, from shiny black to brown and even blue. They can be very beautiful and highly social animals, mainly living on leaf litter, rotting wood, flowers and nectar. Many do not have wings, so seldom move far from their preferred habitat and usually live under leaf litter, in burrows, in/under rotting logs and under the bark of trees. Most are nocturnal, but some can be found during the day on various vegetation types.

We rarely see these very shy birds in their bush habitat. But on this day, while playing the 14th fairway at Roseville Golf Course, I was distracted by these two males quarrelling over territory. They were so engrossed, they didn't seem to notice me standing only a few metres away with my mobile phone. Within a few moments they were gone. I haven't seen one since.

This a juvenile Blue Tongue Lizard. Like all youngsters, he's very cute at this age. They're harmless, and friendly and are often kept as pets. Blue Tongues occur across most of Australia. They like open country with lots of cover like tall grasses, leaf litter, rocks and logs, low shrubs etc. under which they will shelter at night. (They also like burrows). During the day they sun themselves until they are warm enough, and then they forage for food during the warmer parts of the day. Their diet consists of plant matter and small animals. That can be beetles, caterpillars, crickets, snails and even other small lizards. Anything they can get hold of will do. But they are not very fast, so they usually eat slower critters. They are very partial to slugs and snails. Oh, and they steal dog food... Blue-tongue lizards have strong jaw muscles to crush big beetles and snail shells. They may also bite in defence when they feel threatened.