Blue-Tongued Skink

Tiliqua scincoides

Family

Scincidae

Conservation Status

Least Concern

Distribution

Northern Australia

Habitat

Grasslands, shrublands, savannas, forests

Factoid

Blue-tongued skinks are threatened by habitat loss, increasing wildfires due to climate change, agricultural toxins, and predation by foxes, dogs, and feral cats.

The blue-tongue skink spends most of the day searching for food. Although it is slow-moving, its brown-banded body helps it camouflage into the surrounding landscape.

When threatened, blue-tongue skinks open their mouth wide and deploy their ultraviolet blue-tongued, sharply contrasting their pink mouth. They also flatten their body to appear larger, thereby frightening potential predators.

Blue-tongued skinks get around using a serpentine (snake-like) movement, slithering on their bellies and using their feet to push themselves along.