Blue-tongued skinks comprise the Australasian
genusIn biology, a genus is a taxonomic unit used in the classification of living and fossil organisms. The term comes from Latin genus "descent, family, type, gender" , cognate with – genos, "race, stock, kin" ..In addition, genus is a taxonomic rank in the hierarchy In biology, a genus (plural:...
,
Tiliqua, which contains some of the largest members of the
skinkSkinks are the most diverse group of lizards. They make up the family Scincidae which shares the superfamily or infraorder Scincomorpha with several other lizard families, including Lacertidae...
familyIn biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus...
(Scincidae). They are commonly called
blue-tongued lizards or simply
blue-tongues in
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
. As suggested by these common names, a prominent characteristic of the genus is a large blue tongue that can be bared as a bluff-warning to potential enemies.
Systematics
Blue-tongued skinks are closely related to the genera
CyclodomorphusCyclodomorphus is a genus of small to medium-sized skinks . It belongs to the Egernia group which also includes the Blue-tongued skinks .-Species:*Cyclodomorphus branchialis...
and
HemisphaeriodonPink-tongued skinks are the genus Hemisphaeriodon, which contains some of the largest members of the skink family . They are called commonly pink-tongued lizards in Australia, where true lizards do not naturally occur...
. All species are found on mainland Australia with the exception of
Tiliqua gigas which occurs in
New GuineaNew Guinea, located north of Australia, is the world's second largest island. It became separated from the Australian mainland when the area now known as the Torres Strait flooded after the last glacial period. The name Papua has long been associated with the island...
and various islands of
IndonesiaThe Republic of Indonesia is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia comprises 17,508 islands. With an estimated population of around 237 million people, it is the world's fourth most populous country, with the world's largest population of Muslims.Indonesia is a republic, with an...
. One
subspeciesSubspecies in biological classification, is 1) a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, or 2) a taxonomic unit, a taxon in that rank...
of
Tiliqua scincoides is also found on several small Indonesian islands between Australia and
New GuineaNew Guinea, located north of Australia, is the world's second largest island. It became separated from the Australian mainland when the area now known as the Torres Strait flooded after the last glacial period. The name Papua has long been associated with the island...
.
Tiliqua nigrolutea is the only species present in
TasmaniaTasmania is an Australian island and state. It is located south of the eastern side of the continent, from which it is separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania – the 26th largest island in the world – and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 500,000 ,...
. With the exception of the pygmy blue-tongue, they are relatively large lizards (up to 37 cm total length), light-bodied, short-limbed, broad with a distinct head and dull teeth.
Ecology
Most species are
diurnalDiurnal may refer to:* Diurnality, the behavior of an animal that is active in the daytime* Diurnal motion, the apparent motion of stars around the Earth* Diurnal phase shift, a phase shift of electromagnetic signals...
ground-foraging omnivores, feeding on a wide variety of insects, gastropods, flowers, fruits and berries . The pygmy blue-tongue is again the exception, being primarily an ambush predator of terrestrial arthropods . All are viviparous, with litter sizes ranging from 1-4 in the pygmy blue-tongue and shingleback to 5-24 in the eastern and northern blue-tongues .
Species and subspecies
- Tiliqua adelaidensis, (Adelaide) Pygmy Blue-tongued Skink
- Tiliqua gigas, Indonesian Blue-tongued Skink
- Tiliqua gigas evanescens, Merakue Blue-tongued Skink
- Tiliqua gigas keyensis, Key Island Blue-tongued Skink
- Tiliqua multifasciata, Centralian Blue-tongued Skink
- Tiliqua nigrolutea, Blotched Blue-tongued Skink
- Tiliqua occipitalis, Western Blue-tongued Skink
- Tiliqua rugosa, Shingleback (or Bobtail) Skink
- Tiliqua rugosa rugosa, Common Shingleback Skink
- Tiliqua rugosa aspera, Eastern Shingleback Skink
- Tiliqua rugosa palarra, Shark Bay
Shark Bay is a world heritage site in the Gascoyne region of Western Australia. It is an area centered approximately on , 800 kilometres north of Perth, on the westernmost point of Australia. An expedition led by Dirk Hartog happened upon the area in 1616, becoming the second group of Europeans...
Shingleback Skink
- Tiliqua rugosa konowi, Rottnest Island
Rottnest Island is located 18 km off the coast of Western Australia, near Fremantle. It is called Wadjemup by the Noongar people, meaning "place across the water". The island is 11 kilometres long, and 4.5 kilometres at its widest point with a total land area of 19 km². It is classified as an A...
Shingleback Skink
- Tiliqua scincoides, Australian Blue-tongued Skink
- Tiliqua scincoides scincoides, Eastern Blue-tongued Skink
- Tiliqua scincoides intermedia, Northern Blue-tongued Skink
Northern Blue-tongued Skinks are the largest and heaviest of the Blue-tongued Lizards . They are native to Australia and found almost exclusively in the Northern Region...
- Tiliqua scincoides chimaerea, Tanimbar Blue-tongued Skink
External links