Blue Tongued Skink
Genus Tiliqua · Reptile, lizard
From the Capy Learning Corner encyclopedia
- Native range
- Australia, New Guinea, and parts of Indonesia.
- Size
- Heavy bodied lizards up to about 2 feet, on comically small legs.
- Lifespan
- Remarkably long for a lizard, commonly 15 to 20 years in good care.
- Conservation
- Most species are of Least Concern.
Little Learners Corner
When a blue tongued skink gets scared, it opens wide and shows its bright blue tongue to surprise everyone.
Say it like a scientist: tih-LEE-kwuh
Where They Live
Ground dwellers of woodlands, scrub, and suburbs, sheltering in leaf litter and burrows.
What They Eat
Omnivore. Insects, snails, flowers, fruit, and greens.
How They Live
The blue tongue is the whole defense strategy: when threatened, the skink gapes wide and flashes shocking ultraviolet blue, startling predators into hesitation. It is a bluff, and it works.
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Blue Tongued Skinks as Pets?
Blue tongues are calm, hardy, and food motivated, which has made them popular pets, and their 20 year lifespan surprises buyers. Meet one first; the tongue alone is worth the visit.
Fun Facts
The tongue reflects ultraviolet light, making it even more startling to predators than to us.
Blue tongued skinks give birth to live young rather than laying eggs.
Their crushing jaws are built for snail shells.
Capy Quiz: Prove It
What is the blue tongue actually for?
Keep exploring: Bearded Dragon came before this, Sugar Glider is next, or head back to the full Animal Encyclopedia.
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