Blue-tongued skink

Blue tongue lizard redirects here.

Blue-tongued skinks
Tiliqua scincoides showing its blue tongue
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Family:	Scincidae
Subfamily:	Egerniinae
Genus:	Tiliqua Gray, 1825[1]
Species
8, see text.
Synonyms
Trachydosaurus

Blue-tongued skinks make up the Australasian genus, Tiliqua, which has some of the largest members of the skink family (Scincidae). They are also called blue-tongued lizards or simply blue-tongues, shinglebacks or the sleepy lizard in Australia.^[2] The main feature of the genus is a large blue tongue that can be used to scare away enemies.

Distribution

Blue-tongued skinks are closely related to the genera Cyclodomorphus and Hemisphaeriodon. All species are found on mainland Australia except Tiliqua gigas which lives in New Guinea and various islands of Indonesia. One subspecies of Tiliqua scincoides is also found on several small Indonesian islands between Australia and New Guinea. Tiliqua nigrolutea is the only species in Tasmania. With the exception of the pygmy blue-tongue, they are large lizards which can grow up to 45 cm total length. They are light-bodied, short-limbed, broad with a distinct head and dull teeth.

Ecology

Most species are diurnal ground-foraging omnivores, feeding on insects, gastropods, flowers, fruits and berries.^[3] The pygmy blue-tongue however mainly eats arthropods. The skinks give birth to live young. The litter sizes ranging from 1–4 in the pygmy blue-tongue and shingleback to 5–24 in the eastern and northern blue-tongues.^[4]

Species and subspecies

• Tiliqua adelaidensis, (Adelaide) Pygmy Blue-tongued Skink
• Tiliqua gigas, Indonesian Blue-tongued Skink
  • Tiliqua gigas evanescens, Merakue Blue-tongued Skink
  • Tiliqua gigas keyensis, Key Island Blue-tongued Skink
• Tiliqua sp., Irian Jaya Blue-tongued Skink
• Tiliqua multifasciata, Centralian Blue-tongued Skink
• Tiliqua nigrolutea, Blotched Blue-tongued Skink
• Tiliqua occipitalis, Western Blue-tongued Skink
• Tiliqua rugosa, Shingleback (or Sleepy Lizard)
  • Tiliqua rugosa rugosa, Common Shingleback
  • Tiliqua rugosa aspera, Eastern Shingleback
  • Tiliqua rugosa palarra, Shark Bay Shingleback
  • Tiliqua rugosa konowi, Rottnest Island Shingleback
• Tiliqua scincoides, Australian Blue-tongued Skink
  • Tiliqua scincoides scincoides, Eastern Blue-tongued Skink
  • Tiliqua scincoides intermedia, Northern Blue-tongued Skink
  • Tiliqua scincoides chimaerea, Tanimbar Blue-tongued Skink

• 
  Western Blue-tongued Lizard
• 
  Centralian Blue-tongued Lizard from the Tanami Desert
• 
  Eastern Blue-tongued Lizard in metropolitan Sydney.
• 
  Stump-tailed skink, Tiliqua rugosa
• 
  Drinking water