Fun Facts!

The skink's overlapping scales help keep out dirt, sand, and other debris. Healthy adults usually shed every six weeks. Shedding takes a lot of energy, and the skinks must rest up to undergo the shedding process.

Don't get a blue-tongued skink mad at you: they don't have well-developed teeth, but are capable of a powerful bite. They also have a habit of not letting go, contributing considerably to the pain!
 

Eastern Blue-tongued Skink

Tiliqua scincoides scincoides

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION

This lizard is the largest member of the skink family. They have with a long, tubular body, short legs and a short tail, and their heads are triangular and broad. This skink is very well known for its long, bright blue tongue. Adults weigh about a pound and grow to about two feet in length.

HABITAT

The blue-tongued skink lives in the grasslands, forests, rain forests and deserts of Australia and New Guinea.

DIET IN THE WILD

They are omnivores, and eat insects, worms, snails, flowers, fruits and berries.

BEHAVIOR

Blue-tongued skinks spend the majority of their day searching for food and basking in the sun. They seek shelter at night in logs, leaf litter or other ground debris. When threatened, the blue-tongued skink puffs up its body, sticks out its long, blue tongue, and hisses. If this doesn’t work, it flattens out its body, hoping it will appear too large to eat!

STATUS IN THE WILD / CONSERVATION EFFORTS

In their native region, they are very common; however they are often killed because of a superficial resemblance to the death adder, a very poisonous snake. Predators include kookaburras, raptors, the Eastern brown snake and the Mulga snake. There are no conservation efforts underway.

LIFE SPAN

In the wild they can life for up to 20 years.