📷 Geoff Penaluna · CC BY 2.0
📷 Andrew Harvey
📷 Andrew Harvey
IUCN: Least Concern
Blue-Tongued Skink
Tiliqua scincoides
KingdomAnimalia›PhylumChordata›ClassReptilia›OrderSquamata›FamilyScincidae›GenusTiliqua
About
When a blue-tongued skink is threatened, it puffs up its body, hisses, and flashes a wide, cobalt-blue tongue in a startle display that works on predators and surprised gardeners alike. Big, slow, and broad-headed, it hauls itself through leaf litter eating snails, beetles, and fallen fruit, and it gives birth to live young rather than laying eggs — up to a dozen fully-formed babies at a time.
Key Facts
⛰Habitat Open woodlands, grasslands, and suburban gardens with ground cover
🍃Diet Omnivorous: snails, insects, flowers, fruits, and carrion
📏Size & Weight 45–60 cm including tail
•Weight About 400–800 g
⏳Lifespan About 15–20 years in the wild; longer in care
🗺Range Eastern and northern Australia, Tasmania, and New Guinea
ReptileLizard
Key Facts
⛰Habitat Open woodlands, grasslands, and suburban gardens with ground cover
🍃Diet Omnivorous: snails, insects, flowers, fruits, and carrion
📏Size & Weight 45–60 cm including tail
•Weight About 400–800 g
⏳Lifespan About 15–20 years in the wild; longer in care
🗺Range Eastern and northern Australia, Tasmania, and New Guinea
Photo Credits
#1Geoff Penaluna · CC BY 2.0
#2Andrew Harvey · CC BY 2.0
#3Andrew Harvey · CC BY 2.0
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