Death of a shingle

[Scotts1au]

Unfortunate reality is that these guys have no road sense.

Found this one on the road yesterday near Bendigo in Central Victoria - normally only find them squished thought this guy was a little poignant.

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[StaceyLeigh]

Oh NO, not how I ever want to see them, so sad

[WanderingChai]

It's really a shame how they get killed so often in AUS. They should have bluey crossing signs >__>

And it was so beautiful...

[Katrina]

They should have bluey crossing signs >__>

Completely OT and not at all the point... but that made me think of this: http://www.nwitimes.com/news/opinion/ma ... 54a9b.html

Back on topic... Interesting pictures but sad to see. Not surprising that they aren't very good around roads, most reptiles aren't. Thanks for posting.

[Scotts1au]

Not to mention that they blend into the road surface and are very hard to see.

[Richard.C]

and the odd t.u.r.d purposely run them over if they do see them

[Scotts1au]

Yes I've witnessed someone deliberately do this to a bluey

[Red Ink AUS]

Odd wound on that one mate... looks more like a .22 "car"

[NennaMeerkat]

You know what I would do? Macerate it and get the skull! I have done the same thing with a water bird, a coyote, and a fox. It is sad that it had to go, seems someone was an idiot if it was a gun and not a car.

[Scotts1au]

There were some crows around it when I found it, I think they picked off the pieces of skull - think you'lle find the skull has just cracked in that shape after the car ran over the front of the face. I'd say it had been dead less than an hour cos normally the birds pick them off the road in that section of road. There were another couple of dead'ns on that road as well but squished into the road. It is a main road out of Bendigo - won't find anyone shooting there.

[Jeff]

Just from watching mine, it doesn't surprise me that they get run over so often. It is just another hazard that some wild skinks face. Seeing people intentionally run over them for fun would be pretty hard to see though.

[Clowesia]

Oh wow, such a shame. :C Shame my mum wasn't the one to find it crossing the road, last time we were on vacation in Aus there was a frill-neck lizard on the road, she pulled over and actually stopped oncoming traffic to shoo it off; they probably thought she was bleedin' nuts.

[jasjmm27]

Is that a Rugosa or Aspera? I can't really tell from the picture, though it looks more Rugosa...the colors and scales look aspera...

Just curious...I have a favorite "type" of aspera that looks like that...

[Scotts1au]

We only have aspera here in Victoria.

[Linnea]

thats very sad D: very very very sad.........i dont understand how they are not worshipped by everyone in aus.

we have many amphibians here and some very small legless lizards, and to make the roads safer they built tunnels under the road where they are plenty in number, and on important frog migration crossroads there is a small sign on occasion.

[Richard.C]

yep an aspera jase,and scott yeah ive seen people purposefully swerve off the road to get blueys,snakes ect,you have to wonder about some folk

[Jambi]

Poor guy around here that happens sometimes with Turtles. I am not a huge Shingleback fan but it's heartbreaking to see one in that state...

[smex14]

This made me want to cry!

Any kind of roadkill makes me sad, round here its usually rabbits or pheasants. But he doesn't even look like roadkill, he looks all smushed. I would want to pick him up and breath life into him again like that guy off the green mile.

[Red Ink AUS]

There were some crows around it when I found it, I think they picked off the pieces of skull - think you'lle find the skull has just cracked in that shape after the car ran over the front of the face. I'd say it had been dead less than an hour cos normally the birds pick them off the road in that section of road. There were another couple of dead'ns on that road as well but squished into the road. It is a main road out of Bendigo - won't find anyone shooting there.

Cheers for the info mate... makes sense now why the wound would look like that. I was in Bendigo a couple of months ago but alas no stumpy sightings on the roads. I even went to the National park just north of the town.

I'll be heading to Albury this weekend but looks like it's going to be a cold one though... still with the recent floods they may be out due to being displaced by the waters.

[Scotts1au]

I very rarely find them when looking for them, normally only by accident. Also on the roads when they are run over the birds normally carry them off quickly into the bush. I find the best way to find them is to go for a walk and listen carefully for rustling in the distance, otherwise if you end up getting close to them they stand still and are impossible to see in the box ironbark forests, in the shadows and amoungst the ironbark rubble.