Blue alert. (Freeze Frame).

Some tongues get blue from illness, others from blueberry suckers. But the tongue that jabs from the mouth of this Shingleback lizard (Tiliqua rugosa) is blue to ward off dangerous predators like snakes, birds, and bigger lizards. Also called the Stumpy lizard for its broad head-shaped tail, the Shingleback typically spends its days munching spiders and sunbathing in the sunny outback of southern Australia. Like all reptiles (backboned-animals with scaly skin), it's ectothermic, relying on external heat sources to maintain body temperature.

Although the lizard grows no more than 34 cm (13 in.) in length, when threatened it puffs up its body, widens its bright pink mouth, and flicks its pointy blue tongue. Says zoologist (animal expert) Sue Jones at the University of Tasmania: "It also hisses ferociously!" Does the dramatic defense work? It must--the blue-tongued lizard boasts an average life span of up to 20 years.