Blue-tongued skink
Blue-tongued skinks | |
---|---|
Blotched blue-tongued skink (Tiliqua nigrolutea) | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Order: | Squamata |
Family: | Scincidae |
Subfamily: | Egerniinae |
Genus: | Tiliqua Gray, 1825[1] |
Species | |
8 extant, see text. | |
Synonyms | |
Trachydosaurus |
Blue-tongued skinks[2] comprise the Australasian genus Tiliqua, which contains some of the largest members of the skink family (Scincidae). They are commonly called blue-tongued lizards or simply blue-tongues or blueys in Australia or panana in Indonesia. As suggested by these common names, a prominent characteristic of the genus is a large blue tongue that can be bared as bluff-warning to potential enemies.[3] The type of predator/threat that is near will determine the intensity of colour present in the tongue. The tongue can also deform itself and produce a thick mucus in order to catch prey.[4] They are relatively shy in comparison with other lizards, and also significantly slower due to their shorter legs.
Systematics and distribution
Blue-tongued skinks are closely related to the
Ecology
Most species are
Species
Name | Scientific Name | Picture | Subspecies |
---|---|---|---|
Adelaide pygmy blue-tongue skink | T. adelaidensis (Peters, 1863) | ||
No common name | T. frangens[8] | ||
Indonesian blue-tongued skink | T. gigas (Schneider, 1801) | T. g. gigas, Giant blue-tongued skink; T. g. evanescens, Merauke blue-tongued skink; T. g. keyensis, Key Island blue-tongued skink | |
Centralian blue-tongued skink | T. multifasciata (Sternfeld, 1919) | ||
Blotched blue-tongued skink | T. nigrolutea (Quoy & Gaimard, 1824) | ||
Western blue-tongued skink | T. occipitalis (Peters, 1863) | ||
Shingleback, bobtail | T. rugosa (Gray, 1825) | T. r. aspera, Eastern shingleback; T. r. konowi, Rottnest Island bobtail; T. r. palarra, Shark Bay bobtail; T. r. rugosa, Common shingleback, bobtail | |
Common blue-tongued skink
|
T. scincoides (White, 1790) | T. s. chimaerea, Tanimbar blue-tongued skink; T. s. intermedia, Eastern blue-tongued skink
| |
Irian Jaya blue-tongued skink
|
Tiliqua sp. |
Extinct species
Multiple extinct species have been proposed. T. frangens, the largest known species of the genus, lived during the Pliocene and Pleistocene epoch around the Wellington Caves of New South Wales in Australia. Another extinct species T. laticephala may represent the same taxon as T. frangens. Its nearest relative is the extant T. rugosa, which is half the size and lacks the bony plates of T. frangens.[9][10][11]
Another extinct species T. wilkinsonorum also lived during the Pliocene epoch. The earliest possible species is T. pusilla from the middle Miocene, but researchers question whether this species belong to the genus Tiliqua due to its uncertain phylogenetic position that causes paraphyly.[9]
In captivity
Blue-tongues skink species are generally docile, gentle, quiet and easily tamed, and can make a good reptile pet for beginners. Although they are not aggressive, they have strong jaws and teeth, meaning that a bite from a skink can be painful. It is advisable not to startle or provoke them, as they may bite if they feel threatened.[12] Specimens can live up to 20 years or more.[13]
Notes
- ^ Gray, J.E. (1825). A synopsis of the genera of reptiles and Amphibia, with a description of some new species. Annals of Philosophy 10:193—217. p. 201
- ^ Tiliqua, Reptile Database
- S2CID 16915899.
- JSTOR 1565632. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
- ^ Cogger, H.G. (2000). Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia. Reed New Holland.
- ^ Department for Environment and Heritage > Pygmy Bluetongue Lizard - fact sheet, Environment.sa.gov.au, retrieved 18 July 2017
- ^ Turner, G. 2001. Keeping Bluetongue Lizards. Australian Reptile Keeper Publications.
- PMID 37312544.
- ^
- ^ Extinct lizard was a bizarrely supersized version of modern skinks, Alice Klein, New Scientist, 2023-06-14
- ^ Meet the biggest and most bizarre skink ever found in Australia. It became extinct 47,000 years ago, 2023-06-14
- ^ "Feeding and Care of Your Blue-Tongued Skink". Thesprucepets.com. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
- ^ "Blue-Tongued Skink - Tiliqua". Petmd.com. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
References
- Austin, J.J. & Arnold, E.N. (2006). Using ancient and recent DNA to explore relationships of extinct and endangered Leiolopisma skinks (Reptilia: Scincidae) in the Mascarene islands. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 39(2): 503–511. (HTML abstract)
- Bull, C.M. (1988). Mate fidelity in an Australian lizard Trachydosaurus rugosus (Scincidae). Copeia1987(3): 749-757.
- Bull, C.M. (1990). Comparison of displaced and retained partners in a monogamous lizard Tiliqua rugosa. Australian Wildlife Research 17: 135-140.
- Valentic, R.A. (1996). A prey record of the Eastern Blue-tongue Tiliqua scincoides for the common brown snake Pseudonaja textilis. Monitor 8(3): 155.