Tiliqua rugosa

Mainly frequent in the arid regions of southern and western Australia, the Tiliqua rugosa can even exceed the 40 cm. Corpulent and very heavy for its size, it displays showy flattened scales, black, reddish or clear, overlapping in the way of a pine cone, and a squat and enlarged tail, that can be confused, at first sight, with the head, that is useful for disorienting the predators but also as quite precious reserve of fat for the winter quiescence. The legs are short and the animal is slow and lazy. If disturbed, often does not even move but opens fully its mouth showing an enormous blue tongue to scare the importuner. It nourishes of plants, fruits, snails, worms and insects. The females are ovoviviparous and generate 1 to 4 good-sized newborns that do not disperse but grow close to parents © G. Mazza