Cyclist meets Godzilla

Maybe not Godzilla, but a friendly little lizard. Over in WA, we used to call things like this "bobtails" or "blue tongues". Never figured out what the eastern states nomenclature is, or even if it's the same type of lizard. They're ok to pick up, so long as you grab them behind the head. We were always told as kids that if they latch onto your finger, they'll never let go. We'd catch them and then swat flies and feed them. We had no shortage of lizards, or flies. Or time to catch lizards and swat flies.

And then along came the internet.



Because I've been riding in the cool of the day for so long, I haven't come across any reptiles for a long time. I used to encouter the odd one out at Homebush on my afternoon rides, but I haven't been out that way for some time. When I first spotted it lying on the road, I thought it was a kid's toy (we have a box full of rubber snakes and things at home).

This also just goes to show how quiet are the roads that I ride down - sunbaking lizards is usually a sign of no traffic. Squashed, dried out lizards is a sign of lots of traffic.