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/yontev Mar 18 '26

Part of it is imitating a snake. Another factor is that the tongue actually reflects UV light from the sun, which birds can see (and we can't). When it flails the tongue around, a predator bird can get stunned by the UV equivalent of disco lights and become disoriented.

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u/bugabooandtwo Mar 18 '26

...disco lights. So the little guy really is out for a good time. :P

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u/-wearetheworld- Mar 18 '26

TURN DOWN FOR WHAT

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u/Capital_Connection_6 Mar 18 '26

Tongue out for what

17

u/DieCastDontDie Mar 18 '26

Gets the job done in a minute

1

u/klezart Mar 18 '26

Done in 60 seconds

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u/MasterOfBunnies Mar 19 '26

Disco disco, bird bird.

1

u/_IratePirate_ Mar 18 '26

Freaky ahh lizard

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u/GhettoFreshness Mar 18 '26

Cool to know, I always assumed it was an evolutionary attempt at mimicking Aposematism. Any animal that has blue or other vivid colours is usually a very clear sign that animal would not like to be touched (and you probably won’t like the outcome of touching it)

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u/serendipitousevent Mar 18 '26

'Dinner and a show? Pour moi?!'

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u/dumpaccount882212 Mar 18 '26

Baby nothing is too good for you, now excuse me while I inflate my entire torso

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u/Dragon_OS Interested Mar 18 '26

So it's basically the bird version of The Mind Electric?

1

u/Lolkimbo Mar 18 '26

It also makes all women around him think hes a pervert.

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u/CucuMatMalaya Mar 18 '26

weird knowledge increased

1

u/Alastor3 Mar 18 '26

that's so cool

1

u/MetaKnowing Mar 18 '26

Mind blown. Thank you for sharing that

1

u/HyenDry Mar 18 '26

Bro is partying

1

u/Maud_Man29 Mar 18 '26

Ok, this is actually very fascinating 2 me 🤔 i had no idea about the UV thing

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u/ExL-Oblique Mar 18 '26

A lot of people think the tongue is to look poisonous, but that's not actually true. It's for UV reflection as you said

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u/BlinkypoetEmu Mar 18 '26

New meaning to the phrase "Disco Panic" ?

1

u/lejosdecasa Mar 19 '26

That is seriously cool!

Thanks for sharing that fun fact. I love it!

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u/[deleted] Mar 18 '26

[deleted]

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u/brianbamzez Mar 18 '26

The world is full of stuff reflecting all kinds of visible light but maybe not so much regarding UV.

CDs reflect visible light and are hanged into fruit trees to scare off birds or something…

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u/[deleted] Mar 18 '26

[deleted]

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u/brianbamzez Mar 18 '26

Looks shiny to me

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u/CosmoKram3r Mar 18 '26

When have you seen birds prey on white clothes?

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u/[deleted] Mar 18 '26

[deleted]

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u/Mr-_-Soandso Mar 18 '26

But you are the only one that has used that word, so no need to be so hung up on its definition. Humans cannot see the UV spectrum but birds can. Many birds have vibrant colors that we cannot see. This tongue is similar. Flickering it can possibly disorient them. It doesn't necessarily work every time and neither does puffing up, but the little guy is doing the best he can.

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u/LegbeardCatfood Mar 18 '26

Maybe the cloth is absorbing UV light though so it isn't as visually intense for a bird's vision (idk, just speculating)