Tiliqua scincoides
Description
Blue-tongue lizards (Tiliqua scincoides) are large skinks with short limbs (legs) that can grow to 50 centimetres in length. Blue tongue lizards are diurnal, being most active during the morning and afternoon.
They are found through most of coastal Queensland, and have adapted well to living in people’s backyards where they can find shelter away from predators.
Blue-tongues are usually solitary animals. 3-5 months after mating, females give birth to up to 20 live young (viviparous) in summer. The young emerge fully independent.
When annoyed, they will hiss, inflate their body and open their mouth to expose their brightly coloured tongue. They have strong jaws which can deliver a painful bite, although bites are rare.
Adaptations
- Excellent camouflage
- A combination of large litters and live young result in increased chances of survival for offspring
- Powerful jaws to crush snail shells and seeds with hard casings
- Ability to ‘drop’ their tail to escape predation
- Long-lived (up to 20 years)
Feeding relationships
- What I eat: Snails, slugs, slow moving insects, and a variety of vegetable matter including fruit
- What eats me: Hawks, kookaburras, magpies, snakes (e.g. lern Brown & Red-bellied Black Snake), Lace Monitor (goanna), cats, dogs
Interesting facts
The tail of Blue-tongues is an important storage site for fat. They can ‘drop’ their tails in an attempt to escape predators.