Blue-tongued Skinks

Blue tongued skink
FAMILY: Scincidae
Genus Species Sub-
species		 Common Name
*b-t = blue-tongue		 Snout-vent
Length		 Tail:Body Ratio

Tiliqua

 scinoides

common b-t

 intermedia northern b-t 30cm /13in
world's
largest skink		 .5 - .75
scinoides eastern b-t
occipitalis   western b-t 30cm/13in .5
multifasciata   centralian b-t 29cm/11in .5
nigrolutea   blotched or southern b-t 25cm /10in .5
adelaidensis   Adelaide pygmy b-t 9cm/4in .67

Tiliqua scincoides scincoides.jpg
By JJ Harrison (jjharrison89@facebook.com) - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link

Characteristics

Appearance relatively short tails and limbs - tail is shorter than the body;
smooth scales;
tongue is dark blue except for T. adelaidensis which has a pink tongue
Distribution most regions of Australia have at least one species of blue-tongue
T.scinoides intermedia northern Aust
T.scinoides scinoides southern & south-east Aust
T.occipitalis southern Aust
T.multifasciata northern WA, NT, north-west Qld
T.nigrolutea Tasmania, south-east Aust
T.adelaidensis near Adelaide, SA
Habits diurnal - shelter in tree hollows and in ground debris at night;
ground-dwelling;
threat display involves inflating the body, opening the mouth to expose the tongue, and hissing
Diet plant and animal matter including insects, snails, carrion, flowers, fruit and berries
Reproduction
produce live young in summer:
Maximum number of young (from various sources)
T.scinoides 18, 25
T.occipitalis 7
T.multifasciata 10, 12
T.nigrolutea 10
T.adelaidensis 4

References