Both humans and would-be predators are confused by the appearance of the Bobtail.
However you look at it, the Bobtail is a very weird creature. The large lizard grows to about 30cm (1 foot) in length, looks distinctly overweight, and has tiny legs that restrict its movement to a rather slow shuffle. But the oddest thing about the Bobtail is its fat, rounded tail. It is believed that the strange tail actually serves as a form of defence. It confuses birds and other predators. They can’t tell which end is the head, and hence are uncertain where to attack.
The Bobtail is also claimed to have the unusual distinction of having more different names than any other lizard. West Australians often call it a Bobtail Goanna, though biologists assure us that it is a skink, not a goanna. On the eastern side of Australia it is generally called a Shingleback, though in fairness the western and eastern forms are two slightly different subspecies. Biologists call it Tiliqua rugosa, where rugosa means rough. Other common names include stump-tailed skink, bogii, two-headed lizard, pinecone lizard and sleepy lizard.
A Bad Reputation
When a Bobtail feels threatened, it will open its huge mouth and poke out a large blue tongue, maybe hissing as well. It’s a rather frightening display of aggressiveness and certainly makes you back off. As kids we were told that Bobtails have such a powerful bite that you need pliers to get them off, and afterwards the bite never heals properly.
However, like many schoolyard tales, those assertions aren’t entirely accurate. We have never tried putting our finger in a Bobtail’s mouth, but it is reported that they do have a powerful bite. Some people liken it to slamming your fingers in the car door. But you don’t need pliers to get them off; they typically let go after inflicting a bite. The story about the bite never healing is also untrue, though the experts do recommend treating the bite with antiseptic. However, they don’t have venom, so the bite isn’t actually poisonous.
Thanks to those scary childhood stories, we still tend to treat Bobtails with caution, though they are actually rather cautious creatures themselves. If you come across one, it will typically crawl away into the undergrowth and then lie still, looking back at you from its place of refuge.
Close Encounters
Several early explorers reported seeing Bobtails when they visited Western Australia and were not exactly impressed. The English explorer and buccaneer William Dampier saw them on the west coast and expressed surprise because, “They had a stump of a tail, which appeared like another head. The body when opened hath a very unsavoury smell. If pressed by hunger, I think my stomach would scarce have served to venture on these [Bobtails], both the looks and smell of them being so offensive.”
Matthew Flinders also came across the Bobtail, when he was sailing along the south coast of Western Australia in the Investigator in 1802. He mentions the creature in his classic account of the journey, A Voyage to Terra Australis, but unfortunately doesn’t tell us what he thought of it. These days, Bobtails are seen more positively. They are even fairly popular as house pets.
It is reported that they live alone for most of the year, but reform as the same pair during the mating season over a period of years. Unlike many other reptiles, they give birth to their babies live, not as eggs. Bobtails eat both plants and animals, including snails and beetles, which they can crush with their strong jaws.
For more information about the Bobtail, visit the Encyclopedia of Life www.eol.org/pages/790460/details
For its close relative, the Eastern Shingleback, visit www.australianmuseum.net.au/Shingleback-Lizard
WHERE TO FIND THEM
Bobtails are found in the southern half of Western Australia, along the coast and also in drier inland areas. In our experience, you are most likely to see them on warm, sunny days in spring. The Eastern Shingleback is found in the dry inland plains of the southern half of eastern Australia.
Their habitat includes shrublands, grasslands and coastal dunes. We have also seen Bobtails in suburban Perth, in bush parks, remnant bushland and along coastal footpaths. You are most likely to see them in cleared spaces, like walking/hiking trails and roads. If you approach them, they will generally slink off into the undergrowth, where they are often quite hard to see due to their camouflaged colouring. You may also see them on road surfaces, where they are also hard to spot and unfortunately often become road kill.