Blotched Blue-tongued Skink

Fascinating facts about the Blotched Blue-tongued Skink

• A 20-inch (50 cm) adult is among the larger skinks in southeastern Australia.
• When the highland form gives birth, the litter is usually just five pups, while the lowland cousins welcome about 11 tiny skinks each autumn – a clear trade-off between baby size and number.
• Scientists have recorded some individuals living up to 30 years in captivity.
• Even though it can drop its tail like many skinks, this hefty species does so far less often, relying instead on its blue tongue flash and blunt bite to deter predators.
• Fossils of this skink appear in the Pleistocene layers of Naracoorte Caves National Park, and it occurs in Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia, New South Wales and the ACT.

At a glance

About the Blotched Blue-tongued Skink

The blotched blue-tongued skink (Tiliqua nigrolutea) is a robust, relatively large skink, reaching 14 to 20 inches (35 to 50 cm). Its body is a canvas of regional variation: lowland individuals display grey or brown tones punctuated by silvery-tan blotches, while highland forms are often jet-black, offset by striking cream, pink, salmon or orange markings. A fleshy blue tongue darts out to taste the air and to startle predators, and the skink relies on camouflage and bluff before resorting to a dramatic defensive display; a bite is a last resort, and although its jaws are powerful, the blunt teeth rarely break skin. This omnivore roams wet and dry sclerophyll forests, montane woodlands and coastal heathlands across Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, foraging on insects, snails, carrion, wildflowers, native fruits, leaves and occasional small vertebrates such as mice. Its tail can be shed, but this large species does so less often than its skink relatives, preferring to stand its ground. Viviparous and long-lived, captivity records reach 30 years, these skinks emerge from brumation in early spring, the onset of the mating season. Highland forms give birth to fewer, larger young (about five) while lowland females produce around eleven offspring in autumn after a prolonged gestation. Adaptable to rural and urban settings, they are welcomed in farms and gardens where they consume pest snails, slugs and even rodents. Fossil remains from the Pleistocene Naracoorte Caves National Park attest to their deep evolutionary roots, linking ancient lineages to the thriving populations seen today.

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