Blue Tongue Skink Facts | Anatomy, Diet, Habitat, Range

Blue tongue skinks are typically found all throughout the Australia. It belongs to the genus Tiliqua which contains the largest of the skink family. Blue tongue skinks make very popular pets but they are highly sensitive to certain things such as temperature, food, and location. They are mainly distinguished by their blue tongue.

Blue Tongue Skink Facts

Anatomy

• Except for the pygmy blue-tongued skink most other skinks reach an overall length of about 45 cm.
• They have got snake-like skin and head while the tongue is completely blue. Blue tongued skinks seem to possess light body and short limbs.
• The northern species are mainly recognized by their peachy orange or yellowish body on which there are number of darker stripes.
• In captivity blue-tongued skinks can live up to 20 years.
• Blue-tongued skinks are not really expert climbers but they do get on the rocks or logs.
• The skinks must come out in daylight to expose to the sun. During winter they bask for many hours however in the days of summer skinks bask only for a while.

Range & Habitat

• Blue tongue skinks are likely to survive in the mainland Australia. However Tiliqua gigas is the only species that is primarily found on the islands of Indonesia and New Guinea.
• In Tasmania, Australia skink’s habitats include semi-deserts and open woodlands.
• The ideal temperature in captivity is about 75 to 82 degrees Fahrenheit.

See also: What Do Blue Tongue Lizards Eat?

Feeding Ecology & Diet

• Blue-tongued lizards remain active all day long and they have an omnivorous diet.
• They are thought to consume wide variety of flowers, insects, fruits, berries, and gastropods.
• The pygmy blue-tongued is a ground predator of many arthropods. Skinks also feed on pinky mice, small earthworms, redworms, small crickets, Zoophoba larvae, and fuzzies.
• In captivity, blue-tongued skinks are likely to consume protein-rich foods such as mealworms, ground turkey, pinky mice, dog or cat food, boiled chicken, and lean ground beef. The captive skink’s diet also consists of dandelions, peas, mango, escarole, papaya, strawberries, cauliflower, broccoli, cherries, nectarines, mustard greens, collard greens, blueberries, carrots, figs, and squash.
• They are thought to spend much of their day foraging small insects including snails. When the sun sets, lizards go back to their shelters.

Reproductive Biology

• The breeding occurs in January. The female skink gives birth to 21 live young. In the next 30 days or so they grow fast enough to be able to forage themselves.
• Blue-tongued skink’s scales are so small that they cannot protect them from predators such as dogs.
• During extreme cold, blue-tongued skinks go into hibernation mostly in hollow logs, drainage pipes, or in a deep crevice. When the weather gets warm in August they wake up and the first thing they do is to look for insects.
• Breeding of blue-tongued skinks goes on from October to November.