Blue-Tongued Skinks. David C. Wareham

Tiliqua genus includes several species and subspecies of blue-tongued skink, whose common name is obviously derived from its characteristic fleshy berry-blue tongue. Blue-tongued skinks are mostly large, smooth-scaled, thickset, robust lizards with comparatively short limbs; moderately sized tapering tails; large, broad, triangular heads; and dulled teeth.

      Movements

      The blue-tongued skink displays its distinctive tongue whenever it is suddenly threatened or alarmed. At such times, it positions itself sideways, with its tilted body bowed, so that its head and tail are directed toward the threat. The skink inflates its body to make it look as large as possible while holding its mouth agape, tongue lolled forward, and usually hissing. This unexpected and rather startling action, often in conjunction with a strong thrash of the tail, usually succeeds in deterring rivals and predators, but the behavior usually disappears in captivity once the skink becomes tame and accustomed to movement and routine disturbances.

      Although its movements are normally slow and deliberate, the blue-tongued skink can move quickly over short distances. When alarmed or threatened, for instance, it will often hold its short limbs against its body and wriggle across the ground in a snakelike manner.

      The modern blue tongue features a long cylindrical body, a stubby tail, a pointed head, and short limbs.

      Habits and Life Expectancy

      As with the rest of the genus, the blue-tongued skink is diurnal, spending the daylight hours foraging for food and engaging in its other routine activities, such as basking, defending its territory, courting, and breeding. Although it will occasionally crawl into the lower, thicker branches of shrubs in its search for food and haul itself onto rocky ledges from time to time to bask, its short limbs are not adapted for climbing.

      The fact that the blue tongue has a nonspecialized diet means that it can occupy a surprisingly wide variety of habitats. It can live in areas from grassland to semiarid brush scrub, from open forest to rock-strewn steppe. It is also equally at home on the margins of both subhumid tropical forest and semidesert.

      During midday, when the sun is at its hottest, the blue tongue seeks out shade and shelter in deserted animal burrows, in rocky crevices, among the roots of trees, in hollow logs, or beneath stones, dead vegetation, or other natural or man-made debris. The skink often uses these same retreats as sleeping quarters at night, when its somewhat flattened body enables it to hide itself easily in such places.

      The normal life expectancy for this species in captivity is between fifteen and twenty years, although there are unconfirmed reports of individuals living beyond thirty-two years. Scientists have yet to determine a blue tongue’s longevity in the wild.

      To avert a threat, the blue-tongued skink turns and inflates its body to appear larger while opening its mouth wide to hiss.

      Scientific Naming System

      Every living thing that has ever been discovered and described is given a scientific name, derived from Latin or Classical Greek and consisting of two or three parts. Using this internationally recognized system helps prevent confusion caused by a species having many different common names. The assignment of scientific names to organisms is called nomenclature and, while these names can stand for many years, nomenclature is very fluid, and names are constantly being revised, modified, or changed.

      A species is a wide group of similar individuals that are able to reproduce among themselves. Individuals or groups belonging to the same species are called conspecific. Many species are then divided into subspecies (organisms that have characteristic traits that differ slightly from those of their main species). Similar or related species are placed within a genus.

      A scientific name is designated in italics and consists of the genus (in this case, Tiliqua) followed by the species (for example, Tiliqua occipitalis—the Western blue-tongued skink). A scientific name consisting of two words denotes an organism that does not have a subspecies. If a plant or animal’s scientific name is three words, the third word indicates either that this is the main species of which there are subspecies or that this is a subspecies. For example: the Northern blue tongue is Tiliqua scincoides intermedia, a subspecies of the Eastern blue tongue Tiliqua scincoides scincoides. A species with the same name repeated twice is the main species, or the pure breed. A subspecies of the Eastern blue tongue is the Kei Island blue tongue, and its scientific name is Tiliqua scincoides keyensis.

      So, in summary:

      First word = genus name (Tiliqua )

      Second word = species name (gigas)

      Third word (if the same) = main species (gigas)

      Third word (if different) = subspecies name (keyensis)

      2. Common Blue-Tongued Skinks

      Throughout the pages of this book, you’ll see references to individual species. While a particular breed may have a reputation for being placid, easy to handle, ideal for the beginner, or good with children, there is always an exception to the rule. A great deal of your skink’s behavior will depend on how you keep it and how often and how carefully you handle it. That said, getting to know the different species a bit better before you buy a skink will help ensure that you’ll be happy with your choice.

      Wild blue-tongued skinks are confined entirely to Australasia, with six types occurring on mainland Australia itself: the Western (Tiliqua occipitalis), the Centralian (T. multifasciata), the Eastern (T. scincoides scincoides), the Northern (T. s. intermedia), the Blotched (T. nigrolutea [the only species to occur in Tasmania]), and the Pygmy (T. adelaidensis). The Indonesian blue-tongued skink, T. gigas gigas, occurs in Papua New Guinea and on a few Indonesian islands with two subspecies: the Kei Island (T. g. keyensis) and the Merauke (T. g. evanescens).

      Indonesian Blue-Tongued Skink,Tiliqua gigas gigas

      This species is sometimes known as the New Guinea blue tongue, and it is one of the most familiar and commonly kept blue-tongued skinks. It is also known in some parts as the great Moluccan skink, although this name is not often used today. This species can be found in Papua New Guinea, Jobi, the Admiralty Islands, New Britain, and the Bismarck Archipelago.

      Under optimal conditions, this skink can grow extremely rapidly. Newborn Indonesian blue tongues measure roughly 6 inches (15 cm) in length from head to tail and can double in length every four weeks or so during their first few months of life. In just eighteen to twenty months, they can reach their full adult size of 19.75 inches (50 cm); those inhabiting the Sarong region can grow even longer.

      In most New Guinea blue-tongued skinks, the ground color ranges from a golden yellow to a light brown or sometimes a light, almost silvery gray or gray-brown. Most are dappled with fifteen to twenty slender, dark, irregularly shaped bands across the back and tail. These bands may become indistinct or be absent on the tail, which is frequently completely black with occasionally a little speckling of white or brown. Specimens inhabiting the islands of Ceram and Ambon are virtually solid black all over, with little or no brown.

      The venter, or underside, can range from cream to orange and may be peppered with black. The short limbs are usually entirely glossy black and may be spotted with white. The large scales on the broad triangular head are very often edged in black, and a single black stripe usually runs down the center of the back of the neck. Occasionally, a dark stripe extends from the neck to the tail. The tongue is, obviously, a vivid berry-blue color and may protrude and roll forward from the deep pink interior of the mouth during a show of aggression.

      Two subspecies are recognized: the Kei Island blue-tongued skink (T. g. keyensis), and the Merauke blue-tongued skink (T. g. evanescens).

      The Indonesian blue tongue (Tiliqua gigas gigas).

      Kei Island Blue-Tongued Skink, Tiliqua gigas keyensis

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