Tiliqua scincoides
| Tiliqua scincoides | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Family: | Scincidae |
| Genus: | Tiliqua |
| Species: | T. scincoides
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| Binomial name | |
| Tiliqua scincoides (White, 1790)
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| Subspecies | |
|
3, see text | |
Tiliqua scincoides (common blue-tongued skink,[2] blue-tongued lizard, common bluetongue[3]) is a species of skink. It is native to Australia as well as to the Tanimbar and Babar Islands in the Maluku Province of Indonesia.[3]
Subspecies
There are three subspecies:[3]
- Tiliqua scincoides scincoides – eastern blue-tongued skink (southern/eastern Australia)
- Tiliqua scincoides intermedia – northern blue-tongued skink (northern Australia)
- Tiliqua scincoides chimaera – Tanimbar blue-tongued skink (Maluku Province, Indonesia)
Description
This is a large terrestrial lizard measuring up to 60 centimetres long and 1 kilogram in mass. It has a stout body and short legs.[2] It is variable in color but generally has a banded pattern. The tongue is blue-violet[4] to cobalt blue in color.[5] Due to its characteristic blue tongue and its curious nature, it is a popular companion animal in Western countries.[6]
This lizard is diurnal, active during the day. It is omnivorous, feeding on insects, snails, frogs, other reptiles, small birds, small mammals, carrion, some plant material, fruits, and fungi.[2][7][8] It is ovoviviparous, the eggs hatching inside the female's body; she then gives birth to 5 to 25 live young per litter.[4] 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.[2] The lizard is considered beneficial in these areas, with its appetite for garden pests such as slugs and snails.[4]
When threatened it may hiss and reveal its blue tongue, startling potential predators.[4] There are three color-morphs of Tiliqua scincoides: albino, wild-type, and melanistic. In warm environments, the wild-type T. scincoides and melanistic T. scincoides have skin with lower reflectance compared to the albino T. scincoides, therefore these two lizards can warm their bodies at a faster rate.[9]
Gallery
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Tanimbar blue-tongued skink -
Tanimbar blue-tongued skink
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References
- ^ Shea, G. (2017). "Tiliqua scincoides". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017: e.T109481538A109481555. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T109481538A109481555.en. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
- ^ a b c d 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. S2CID 43481348.
- ^ a b c Tiliqua scincoides at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 18 May 2017.
- ^ a b c d Tiliqua scincoides. Australian Reptile Online Database.
- ^ 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. PMID 19769569. S2CID 24711884.
- ^ Jirik, Kate (2018). "Eastern Blue-tongued Skink (Tiliqua scincoides) Fact Sheet". San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.
- ^ "Tiliqua scincoides (Common Bluetongue, Eastern Bluetongue, Northern Bluetongue, Eastern Blue-Tongued Lizard)".
- ^ "LibGuides: Eastern Blue-tongued Skink (Tiliqua scincoides) Fact Sheet: Diet & Feeding".
- ^ Geen, Michael; Johnston, Gregory (July 2014). "Coloration affects heating and cooling in three color morphs of the Australian bluetongue lizard, Tiliqua scincoides". Journal of Thermal Biology. 43: 54–60. doi:10.1016/j.jtherbio.2014.04.004. PMID 24956958.