1 of 12

Blue-tongued skink

(Tiliqua)

2 of 12

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?

3 of 12

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!

4 of 12

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

5 of 12

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

6 of 12

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)

7 of 12

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

8 of 12

9 of 12

How do you classify Blue-tongued skinks?

Animalia

Chordata

Reptilia

Squamata

Scincidae

Tiliqua

*One of the blue tongued lizards*

10 of 12

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

11 of 12

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

12 of 12

References: