THE HUMBLE blue-tongue lizard has begun its backyard takeover in Tamworth.
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Blueys have been spotted in droves across the city and University of New England herpetologist Dr Deborah Bower said there's a simple reason why - love is in the air.
"It's spring, so the females and males are out mating, the females will likely be pregnant and will give birth to live young toward the end of the year," she said.
"Studies of blue tongues in Sydney into why they are so common and survive in the suburbs found they have big ranges of up 10 kilometres and use vegetation corridors to move.
"So when you're gardening think about planting shrubby patches that allow a blue tongue to move through the area."
Dr Bower busted the myth that blueys keep brown snakes out of the yard, but said the lizard is a friend, not a foe.
The lizards are omnivorous and not too fussy about what they eat, from flowers to snails, bugs and funghi. They are a protected species.
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Pets pose the biggest threat to blue tongues, with the friendly lizard more likely to slither away than bite someone, Dr Bower said.
"If you ever have tried to pick one up they will likely do a threat display, they open their mouth right up and hiss at you, if they got the chance they could give you a good bite," she said.
"The blue tongue is part of that, when they flash it out at you it's a big, bright colour - but there are relatives with pink tongues so I don't think it's crucial to their survival."
Studies have shown the base of a blue tongue's blue tongue is particularly bright under UV light, which birds can see clearly.