Warning signs will now include the sleepy lizard
By Judy Evans
@JudyEv (345428)
Rockingham, Australia
July 29, 2020 2:51am CST
I know people worry about all the dangerous creatures we’re supposed to have in Australia but one of the more harmless ones is the sleepy lizard (Tiliqua rugosa). The lizard is also known as the shingleback, pinecone, or blue-tongued lizard. ‘Sleepy’ is a good term for them as they are slow-moving. Hence, a lot become roadkill, especially during the summer.
Because of the high road toll, a young boy in South Australia has come up with the idea of putting up warning signs in the Innes National Park on South Australia’s Yorke Peninsula.
There are already a number of Australian animals that appear on road signs. Some of these are the kangaroo, wombat, emu, camel, and platypus. The larger animals can cause a lot of damage to a vehicle whereas with the lizard, the only fatality is likely to be itself.
The photo of the sign was taken on the Nullarbor on our way to South Australia.
32 people like this
29 responses
@ptrikha_2 (47332)
• India
7 Sep 20
@JudyEv
With this duck sign, a motorist might stop for a while and just admire the duck sign!!
2 people like this
Thank you, I have bought the "duck sign", it is in our garden.
@BACONSTRIPSXXX (14684)
• Torrington, Connecticut
30 Jul 20
I always wanted to visit Australia for the wild life
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@BACONSTRIPSXXX (14684)
• Torrington, Connecticut
30 Jul 20
@JudyEv I agree not to mention the marine life as well, I still want to travel but when the Covid is gone
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@JudyEv (345428)
• Rockingham, Australia
30 Jul 20
@BACONSTRIPSXXX We won't be going anywhere much until the virus has run its course.
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@Spontaneo (14700)
• United States
30 Jul 20
Your discussion is very interesting. Do many kangaroo appear near the road often? I would also like to see a koala.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (345428)
• Rockingham, Australia
2 Aug 20
@Spontaneo We live on 18 acres and have lots of kangaroos that come and go on our place. This photo was taken through our kitchen window.
2 people like this
@Spontaneo (14700)
• United States
1 Aug 20
@JudyEv Do you live near kangaroo and koala? So cute they are!
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@moffittjc (122570)
• Gainesville, Florida
29 Jul 20
Do you get to keep any roadkill you hit? After it gets hit, I call it "road pizza." haha
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (122570)
• Gainesville, Florida
30 Jul 20
@JudyEv I've heard that some of the rednecks around here will scoop up roadkill if it's fresh. Mostly deer, not any of the small stuff.
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@nanette64 (20364)
• Fairfield, Texas
29 Jul 20
And I'm one of those that watches out particularly for ANY animal crossing a road @JudyEv.
1 person likes this
@lovebuglena (45231)
• Staten Island, New York
29 Jul 20
Never heard of a wombat. I've never seen a deer in my area where there is a deer sign.
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@JudyEv (345428)
• Rockingham, Australia
30 Jul 20
It's a good thing if you don't see deer. They could make a mess of a car.
@lovebuglena (45231)
• Staten Island, New York
30 Jul 20
@JudyEv I sometimes see deer by my house behind the community fence.
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@LindaOHio (183823)
• United States
29 Jul 20
Interesting. You have camels in Australia? I'm assuming they were brought in. Do you know for what purpose?
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@JudyEv (345428)
• Rockingham, Australia
30 Jul 20
@LindaOHio Thanks, Linda. I hope your day is going well too.
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@JudyEv (345428)
• Rockingham, Australia
30 Jul 20
They were brought in to use in opening up our arid inland areas. They handle the heat and tough terrain better than horses. Now, we export them back to the Middle East from time to time. Here is a very old photo of camels carting bales of wool in outback Australia. The photo is in the public domain.
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@LindaOHio (183823)
• United States
30 Jul 20
@JudyEv Thank you for the photo and the information. Your country is fascinating to me. Have a wonderful Thursday!
1 person likes this
@piyushbhatia1 (11695)
• India
29 Jul 20
@JudyEv Then cars would not be able to go there.
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@JudyEv (345428)
• Rockingham, Australia
29 Jul 20
@piyushbhatia1 Unfortunately I don't think the authorities are going to close the roads.
@GardenGerty (161957)
• United States
29 Jul 20
Someone could get hurt, even by a slow lizard, if they are going too fast and swerve to avoid it. Best to drive cautiously. Good boy to be conscious of it too.
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@JudyEv (345428)
• Rockingham, Australia
30 Jul 20
Certainly, if a driver swerves there is the potential for a bad accident.
@snowy22315 (184778)
• United States
29 Jul 20
Well lizards can get onto roads I guess. Here turtles seem to be the reptiles on the road,. You don't seem them that often though. They do come out sometimes when it rains.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (345428)
• Rockingham, Australia
30 Jul 20
Some will still get squashed but at least people will be aware of them and might keep their eyes open for them.
@Alexandoy (65308)
• Cainta, Philippines
29 Jul 20
That young boy has a lot of sense in his brain and pure love for the animals.
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@Alexandoy (65308)
• Cainta, Philippines
29 Jul 20
@JudyEv yes, that boy has something in his heart.
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@DocAndersen (54402)
• United States
29 Jul 20
from the minds of children! what an awesome thing to do!
1 person likes this
@DocAndersen (54402)
• United States
30 Jul 20
@JudyEv it really does, my twins and my daughter are like that, makes me proud!
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