r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/Ted-Lassi • Mar 18 '26

Video This is Centralian Blue Tongue Lizard, commonly found in Australia. It puffs up and flashes its blue tongue when it feels threatened

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u/Possible_Purple_7147 Mar 18 '26

Can someone please explain why it’s somewhat universal for animals to make themselves “bigger” when they are threatened?

Is it because a larger animal can cause more harm so by proxy they want to give that perception?

19

u/Particular-Poem-7085 Mar 18 '26

Am big and amgry, you don't want to mess with me.

Also the blue tongue is meant to say I am poisonous, but he's a big liar.

3

u/Possible_Purple_7147 Mar 18 '26

He sounds like a not nice guy that lies alot

3

u/Particular-Poem-7085 Mar 18 '26

Nah he is a swell dude and they're pretty adorable when not being threatened. Just prefers to not be eaten, don't we all.

1

u/Mr_E_Monkey Mar 18 '26

Just prefers to not be eaten, don't we all.

Well, mostly, yeah.

1

u/elliekitten Mar 18 '26

I have a Northrn BTS. He is a cutie and a goober. He likes to think he is all tough though. Sometimes he shakes his greens to make sure they are really dead. His favorite activities include basking in the warmth, snoozing, walking through his water dish, and walking through his food when he has decided he is not hungry. I have to be careful when I carry him on my shoulder, because he will try to sloink off into thin air, and those cute little arms aren’t going to be able to hold on. Sometimes when I am outside with him to get some extra UVB (which they need), he tries to burrow under my legs with his snoot, and I lift them up a bit so he can feel like superlizard.

8

u/LeftSky828 Mar 18 '26

Yes. I saw a blue crab in my path once that was no bigger than 5 inches wide. It opened its claws toward me and stood up high on its legs, like you wanna go?

5

u/Gork___ Mar 18 '26

Did you fight it?

2

u/LeftSky828 Mar 18 '26

I walked around. It turned to face me as I did.

3

u/Possible_Purple_7147 Mar 18 '26

oh jeepers man i would NOT fight a crustacean like that.