lookANDsee

This lizard, luckily for it, was sitting on the opposite side of the road as I drove over the hill.

The lizard let me get within 30 cm (1 foot) of its head. They can bite (but more usually just scamper off). Those spines on the edge of its neck frill look evil. At this close-up range the scales on its skin are quite evident. The lizard was about 40 cm (16 inches) long, plus some for the tail. The colour of the gravel road and the lizard reflect the harsh light and the heat of summer.

This Snake-necked Turtle, Chelodina longicollis, was spotted down by the dam late this afternoon.

Turtles are quite shy creatures so this one hides her long neck around the side of her shell but keeps an eye on me.

The turtle was first spotted here. She’s been preparing an egg chamber for her clutch of eggs.