He had a blue tongue. Because he was a Blue Tongued Lizard. He lived on Ayer’s Rock with his brother MITA. We don’t like to talk about people (or lizards) behind their backs, but it appears he was a nasty thieving schemer.

Together with his brother MITA, he used to lie in wait for hunters around Uluru and steal their prey, being too much of a lazy lizard to go hunting himself.

One day, a couple of guys known as the Bell Bird Brothers were chasing an emu (which was something of a national sport at the time). Quick as a flash, the two blue-tongued lizards diverted the emu into their lair. When the hunters turned up, out of breath and starving, Lungkata and his brother had devoured the lot and could only offer emu left-overs.

The Bell Bird Brothers were outraged at this thievery. So outraged that they set fire to the lair. The lazy lizards, not being used to exercise, were unable to escape. Instead they burned to a crisp and turned into burnt boulders. They stand there to this day – you can even go and visit them if you wish to pay Uluru a visit.

The moral of this story: you shouldn’t trust anyone with a blue tongue.

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Article last revised on April 22, 2019 by Rowan Allen.
Editors: Peter J. Allen, Chas Saunders

References: Coming soon.

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