This handsome fellow is one of the bobtails I mentioned a few days ago that live in our garden. This particular one has been turning up in all sorts of unexpected spots lately. Yesterday evening as I was watering the plant pots he - I think his slightly swollen tail makes him male although it is notoriously hard to tell the difference - suddenly appeared from between two pots where he had presumably settled for the night. He was somewhat irritated at the accidental spray he'd received. He's also been a great source of kitty TV as Mr Puss fixates on him as he wanders past various doors. His mate hasn't been about as much so far this year and has very different colouring being more grey than brown. They mate for life and the female usually gives birth to two babies in spring. Sadly survival rate for the young is not great as they are preyed on by many birds. Also sadly many are killed crossing roads. Since they eat snails among other things - and my strawberries which they consider a delicacy are safely in hanging baskets - they are very welcome here.
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They would be very welcome in my garden to be sure. What ab agreeable touch of wildlife right out the back door. The road kill is quite awful and decimates so many species. It happens here too. The fact that birds eat the young lizards probably keeps the population at sustainable levels within the ecosystem under natural conditions. So many studies with a myriad of organisms have shown that a healthy predator/prey balance is key to the maintenance of ecosystem equilibrium.
You're right about predator/prey balance - and there's certainly no shortage of these lizards around here. I try to get people to understand that it's the way Nature maintains equilibrium - often without much success. So many folk see predators as evil and, of course, they're not.
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