(upbeat music)
- So right now we are out exploring
in some back country and we're searching for
diurnal species of snakes and lizards right now.
And, this is a pretty unique environment.
Very dry.
Guys, right here.
Look at this, look at this snake.
- Is that a stick? - No, no, no it's a skink.
Looks just like a snake.
Look at that right there.
Oh no.
Wait, where'd it go?
(lively drum music)
The Australian outback is home
to a variety of reptilian inhabitants.
And having an encounter with one
is often a matter of finding yourself
walking in the right place at the right time.
Today we are exploring the outlying boarders
of Meandarra, a remote rural town
that boasts over 350 square miles of pristine outback.
The terrain is a rugged seemingly endless maze
of sparse and scraggly underbrush.
Which, for the most part,
is incredibly unforgiving when it comes to hiking.
So right now, we are out exploring
in some back country and we're searching
for diurnal species of snakes and lizards right now.
King Browns, Bearded Dragons, Sand Goannas,
skinks of various sorts, from the Blue-tongued
to the Shingleback and this is
a pretty unique environment, very dry.
Look at this all the branches just break apart.
It is like a giant tinderbox out here.
To help the aid against the environmental challenges,
we are exploring along
an experienced team of animal specialists,
Lockie Gilding and Max Jaxon,
from Australian Wildlife Encounters.
Working under special permits,
they will be helping us navigate the landscape
as we attempt to get a variety
of reptilian inhabitants up close for the cameras.
Take a stop and look right here.
Spiders.
Guys, right here.
Look at this, look at this snake.
- Is that a stick? - No, no, no it's a skink.
Looks just like a snake.
Look at that right there.
Nestled down right in the crux of that log.
You see it?
I thought it was a snake
up over the top of that.
That is actually, that's a Blue-tongued skink.
Hold on, you gotta get a shot of it.
They're not real fast, but it will often times
give you a great defensive display.
Let me see.
Hi buddy.
Let's get you out of here.
There we go.
Come this way.
Oh, he's getting in the grass.
Oh no, wait where'd he go?
Okay he's coming this way.
Hi buddy.
- Right here, right here. - Look at that, look at that.
That is what they will do.
They will rear up their heads and show you
that distinctive blue tongue.
That's incredible.
Look at that tongue.
Alright, I'm gonna pick it up and let's bring it over here.
Oh, without gettin' it, there we go.
Hi buddy.
How are you?
Look at that lizard.
Okay, here, back up a little bit.
Wow.
This is great.
The Blue-tongued skink.
Now this is one of the species
I hoped we would encounter here in Australia
and when it comes to skink species,
I would say, this is not only one of the most common,
but also one of the most iconic.
The name, Blue-tongued skink, you guys can imagine
where that comes from and let me sorta blow some air
in front of it's nose and see if I can get it
to stick it's tongue out.
You guys ready?
Now use that tongue.
There you go.
You see that?
Sensing my hand right now, there you go, tasting my hand.
Turn a little bit so you can see it there, Mario.
Not aggressive at all, look at that, but often times
when we find them on the ground
their first defensive posture is
to rear their body around, open up that mouth and go,
hiss, hiss, display that large blue tongue.
Now they are not venomous but,
that blue-tongue is aposematic,
potentially warning a predator that you don't know
if I'm venomous or not and if I am and I bite ya,
it's gonna be a really bad day.
But this lizard is completely harmless.
Now often times, here in Australia,
people will see these reptiles in their backyard
and they'll call animal services and say,
"I've got a snake in my backyard,
"somebody come and remove it."
But it's more likely a skink than it is a snake.
And you can see why people often times misidentify them,
if I hold those legs down to the side,
it looks just like the body of a snake,
and even when they move through the environment,
their general locomotion that propels them forward,
makes them look like a snake.
Here, I'm gonna set it down on the ground
and watch the way that this reptile moves.
Here, you ready?
You gotta good shot there?
Alright, I'm gonna let it go.
- [Mario] Kinda just glides through the environment.
- Yeah, and those scales are
incredibly smooth and because they're so smooth,
that allows them to easily glide over the underbrush,
underneath logs, over rocks, you name it,
these creatures are constantly on the move.
Little nomads spending their day searching for food.
Wow, that is one really awesome looking lizard.
Now one thing that's really cool about this lizard species
is that they're ovoviviparous and what that means is
that they give birth to live young.
Now the Blue-tongued skink will give birth
to anywhere between two and six baby skinks
and do you guys know what baby skinks are called?
- [Mario] Uh, skinklets.
- Actually that'd be a really good name for baby skinks,
but it's technically called a litter.
And I guess maybe if it's a litter, like puppies,
maybe an individual skinklet is called a pup, I don't know.
- [Mario] I like skinklets.
- I like skinklets better.
Let's officially call them skinklets.
- [Mario] Can you talk about those little back legs?
- They're pretty cute aren't they?
- [Mario] Yeah, let's take a look at those.
- Let's see you're legs buddy.
Look at those little stumpers.
Now they do have really sharp claws and they're capable
of climbing up and over logs, rocks,
fit through narrow crevisses.
They're opportunistic omnivores, which means
they're always on the move searching
for small little insects, arachnids,
and sometimes even feasting on plants.
Now look at the length of this lizard.
A little over a foot long, and this is about average size
for a full-grown adult and it's really hard to distinguish
between the males and the females.
But typically, the males grow just a bit bigger
than their female counterparts.
Look at that tail.
Short and stubby.
and this lizard is not capable of dropping its tail,
like some lizard species.
Some species of skink actually store fat in their tails
similar to that of Gila monster,
and they will actually live off of that fat during times
of drought and a lack of food source.
That's interesting, they have really large ear holes
on the back side of their heads.
So I imagine they must have great hearing
because they're bodies are so low to the ground.
I imagine they sense a lot of movement in their environment,
so, let's say something like a Dingo were to come across.
He could probably feel it from quite a distance away
and be able to scurry underneath a log or into a burrow.
Oh, actually, you know what?
This skink has ticks on it.
I don't know if you can see that.
Zoom in on the side of it's head there.
It has two ticks.
- [Mario] Oh, is that what that lump is?
- Yeah, those are two ticks stuck on the side of it's head.
Actually buddy, you want us to help you out?
I can remove those ticks for you.
Now that is a parasite on the reptile,
and actually, I'm gonna help you out,
I'm gonna remove your ticks.
'Cause those ticks are just feeding off
of this animal's blood right now.
Hold on a second, actually, Mario, can you hold the skink?
Stick your hand out here for a second.
Hold on to the skink.
I'm gonna get a multi-tool out of my bag.
Aw, poor little guy, you've got parasites on you.
Okay, go ahead and bring him back here.
Now this is not gonna hurt the lizard in any way,
and actually they almost look like scales.
Okay, I'm gonna just, hold him down like this.
- [Mario] I can give you a hand with that.
- No, I should be able to get him.
See right there, there's a little tick.
Got it.
That's one.
I know, I know buddy.
I think he know that we're helping him out.
Oh gosh, that one's really in there.
Got it, (groans), that's no good, that's no good.
I got your ticks bud.
Look at that!
Alright, I'm just going to flick those off
back into the wild.
Don't worry, I won't flick 'em at you guys.
- [Mario] This way please.
- That way, alright ready?
There they go.
Alright that is one happy skink.
Does that feel better?
Now that you don't have ticks on you?
Look at the coloration of the eyes.
Absolutely gorgeous, golden on the outside
and that dark black pupil.
They have excellent eyesight during the day.
And now the tongue is starting to come out,
you guys noticing that?
That big blue-tongue and they're using that
to sense their environment.
They use that to help detect chemicals
which helps them find their food.
Wow, this was pretty awesome, coming across one
of the most iconic lizard species here
in Australia, the Blue-tongued skink.
I'm Coyote Peterson, be brave, stay wild,
we'll see you on the next adventure.
(orchestral music)
The bizarre nature of the Blue-tongued skink
with it's short, stumpy legs, snake-like movements,
and big blue tongue, certainly classify it as one
of the most unique reptiles we have featured
on the Brave Wilderness Channel.
And while they are often misidentified in Australia
for being snakes, it's important to remember
that these lizards, despite their aggressive display,
are only interested in escaping human interaction,
and should always be considered harmless.
Hey coyote pack, I have some exciting news!
I'm proud to announce that the crew and I
will be back on tour in 2018 with Brave Wilderness Live,
visiting cities all across North America.
Our first shows are in Anaheim and San Diego, California.
From there, we head to Phoenix, Arizona,
beyond that, we will be visiting San Francisco, California;
Portland, Oregon; Seattle, Washington,
and Boulder, Colorado; with many more shows
to be announced in the coming months.
Tickets can be purchased at the Brave Wilderness website,
so make sure to reserve your seats today and don't forget,
subscribe, so you can join me and the crew
on this season of Breaking Trail.
I'm Coyote Peterson, be brave--
- [Crowd] Stay wild!