Blue-tongued skink

(Tiliqua)

Overview

Of Blue-tongued skinks

• What makes blue skinks unique?
• Where do they live?
• What are their diets?
• What should I know about them?
• What are the 8 species?
• How do I classify them?
• Are they endangered?
• What are their threats?

What are some reasons why the Blue-tongued skink is unique?

• It has a blue tongue, which not many reptiles have
• They can hatch their eggs in their bodies
• They can break off their tail in emergency
• And there are 8, not 1 but 8, species of Blue-tongued skinks!

Where does the Blue-tongued skink live?

• The Blue-tongued skink lives in Australia and New Guinea
• They are found in the woodlands and grasslands of eastern and northern Australia
• They can commonly be seen in people’s backyards eating insects

What is a Blue-tongued skink’s diet?

• Skinks are omnivores, so they eat meat and vegetables
• Young Blue-tongued skinks eat insects for half of their diet
• Adults eat more vegetables and plants

What are some facts about the Blue-tongued skink I should know?

• Blue-tongued skinks live to be 20 years old
• Tiliqua scincoides can be 12 to 24 inches long, and the Blotched blue-tongued lizard can be 14 to 20 inches long
• The Tiliqua scincoides can weigh up to 1.1 pounds

(Tiliqua scincoides)

(Blotched blue-tongued lizard)

What are the 8 species of Blue-tongued skinks?

• Adelaide pygmy blue-tongued skink
• Australian blue-tongued skink
• Blotched blue tongued skink
• Centralian blue-tongued skink
• Indonesian blue-tongued skink
• Irian Jaya blue-tongued skink
• Shingleback
• Western blue-tongued skink

How do you classify Blue-tongued skinks?

Animalia

Chordata

Reptilia

Squamata

Scincidae

Tiliqua

*One of the blue tongued lizards*

Are they endangered?

• Blue-tongued skinks are in the vulnerable list
• The International Union for Conservation for Nature, IUCN, lists them as LC, least concern
• Most of them are thriving, but the Pygmy blue-tongued skink is endangered

What are Blue-tongued skink threats?

• Feral cats and dogs are becoming a problem for Blue-tongued skinks
• Cane toads are a problem for Northern blue-tongued skinks, because they eat them, but get poisoned by them
• Most of their threats are caused by humans disturbing them

References:

https://everywherewild.com/blue-tongued-skink/

https://www.lvzoo.org/animals/blue-tongued-skink/#:~:text=The%20Blue%2DTongued%20Skink%20is%20not%20endangered%2C%20but%20the%20lizard,which%20poisons%20and%20kills%20them.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue-tongued_skink

https://kids.sandiegozoo.org/animals/blue-tongued-skink

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