Tiliqua scincoides

Tiliqua scincoides
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Reptilia
Order:Squamata
Family:Scincidae
Genus:Tiliqua
Species: T. scincoides
Binomial name
Tiliqua scincoides
(White, 1790)
Subspecies

3, see text

Tiliqua scincoides (common blue-tongued skink,[1] common bluetongue[2]) is a species of skink in the genus Tiliqua. It is native to Australia as well as to the Tanimbar and Babar Islands in the Maluku Province of Indonesia.[2]

Subspecies

There are three subspecies:[2]

Description

This is a large terrestrial lizard measuring up to 40 centimetres long and 700 grams in mass. It has a stout body and short legs.[1] It is variable in color but generally has a banded pattern. The tongue is blue-violet[3] to cobalt blue in color.[4]

This lizard is diurnal, active during the day. It is omnivorous.[1] It is ovoviviparous, the eggs hatching inside the female's body; she then gives birth to 5 to 25 live young per litter.[3] This species is known to live over 30 years. It is an adaptable animal, often finding habitat in urban and suburban areas, including residential areas of Sydney.[1] The lizard is considered beneficial in these areas, with its appetite for garden pests such as slugs and snails.[3]

When threatened it may hiss and reveal its blue tongue, startling potential predators. It has strong jaws and can deliver a damaging bite.[3]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Koenig, Jennifer; Shine, Richard; Shea, Glenn (2002). "The dangers of life in the city: patterns of activity, injury and mortality in suburban lizards (Tiliqua scincoides)" (PDF). Journal of Herpetology. 36 (1): 62–68. doi:10.1670/0022-1511(2002)036[0062:TDOLIT]2.0.CO;2.
  2. 1 2 3 Tiliqua scincoides at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 18 May 2017.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Tiliqua scincoides. Australian Reptile Online Database.
  4. ↑ Abbate, F.; Latella, G.; Montalbano, G.; Guerrera, M. C.; Germanà, G. P.; Levanti, M. B. (2009). "The lingual dorsal surface of the blue‐tongue skink (Tiliqua scincoides)". Anatomia, Histologia, Embryologia. 38 (5): 348–350. doi:10.1111/j.1439-0264.2009.00952.x.
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