Blue-tongued skinks comprise the

Australasia Australasia is a region that comprises Australia, New Zealand and some neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term is used in a number of different contexts, including geopolitically, physiogeographically, philologically, and ecologica ...

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

''Tiliqua'', which contains some of the largest members of the

skink Skinks are lizards belonging to the family Scincidae, a family in the infraorder Scincomorpha. With more than 1,500 described species across 100 different taxonomic genera, the family Scincidae is one of the most diverse families of lizards. Ski ...

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

(Scincidae). They are commonly called blue-tongued lizards or simply blue-tongues or blueys in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. As suggested by these common names, a prominent characteristic of the genus is a large blue tongue that can be bared as bluff-warning to potential enemies. The type of predator/threat that is near will determine the intensity of colour present in the tongue. In addition, their blue tongue will produce a response in the prey which will in turn diminish the attack. The tongue can also deform itself and produce a thick mucus in order to catch prey. They are relatively shy in comparison with other lizards, and also significantly slower due to their shorter legs.

Systematics and distribution

Blue-tongued skinks are closely related to the

genera Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nomenclat ...

Cyclodomorphus ''Cyclodomorphus'' is a genus of small to medium-sized skinks (family Scincidae)."''Cyclodomorphus'' ". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org. It belongs to the ''Egernia'' group which also includes the blue-tongued skinks (Austin & Arn ...

'' and '' Hemisphaeriodon''. All species are found on mainland

with the exception of ''Tiliqua gigas'', which occurs in

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu Hiri Motu, also known as Police Motu, Pidgin Motu, or just Hiri, is a language of Papua New Guinea, which is spoken in surrounding areas of Port Moresby (Capital of Papua New Guinea). It is a simplified version of ...

and various islands of

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

. the Tanimbar blue-tongued skink, a

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

of ''Tiliqua scincoides'', is also found on several small Indonesian islands between Australia and

. ''Tiliqua nigrolutea'', the Blotched blue-tongued skink, is the only species present in

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

Ecology

Most species are diurnal, ground-foraging

omnivores An omnivore () is an animal that has the ability to eat and survive on both plant and animal matter. Obtaining energy and nutrients from plant and animal matter, omnivores digest carbohydrates, protein, fat, and fiber, and metabolize the nutri ...

, feeding on a wide variety of insects, gastropods, flowers, fruits and berries. The pygmy blue-tongue is again the exception, being primarily an ambush predator of terrestrial arthropods. All are

viviparous Among animals, viviparity is development of the embryo inside the body of the parent. This is opposed to oviparity which is a reproductive mode in which females lay developing eggs that complete their development and hatch externally from the m ...

, with litter sizes ranging from 1-4 in the pygmy blue-tongue and shingleback to 5-24 in the eastern and northern blue-tongues.

Species

In captivity

Blue-tongues skink species are generally docile, gentle, quiet and easily tamed, and can make a good reptile pet for beginners. Although they are not aggressive, they have strong jaws and teeth, meaning that a bite from a skink can be painful. It is advisable not to startle or provoke them, as they may bite if they feel threatened. Specimens can live up to 20 years or more.

Notes

References

* (2006). Using ancient and recent DNA to explore relationships of extinct and endangered ''Leiolopisma'' skinks (Reptilia: Scincidae) in the Mascarene islands. ''Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution'' 39(2): 503–511. (HTML abstract) * (1988). Mate fidelity in an Australian lizard ''Trachydosaurus rugosus'' (Scincidae). ''

Copeia ''Ichthyology & Herpetology'' (formerly ''Copeia'') is a quarterly peer-reviewed scientific journal covering research in ichthyology and herpetology that was originally named after Edward Drinker Cope, a prominent American researcher in these fiel ...

'' 1987(3): 749-757. * (1990). Comparison of displaced and retained partners in a monogamous lizard ''Tiliqua rugosa''. ''Australian Wildlife Research'' 17: 135-140. * (1996). A prey record of the Eastern Blue-tongue ''Tiliqua scincoides'' for the common brown snake ''Pseudonaja textilis''.
Monitor
' 8(3): 155.

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blue-Tongued Skink Skinks of Australia Reptiles of Indonesia Skinks of New Guinea Tiliqua Skink, Blue-tongued Articles containing video clips Taxa named by John Edward Gray Reptiles as pets