AUSTRALIAN REPTILE PHOTOS AND INFORMATION
Covering Australian Snakes and Lizards, Crocodiles and Turtles
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This Eastern Bluetongue Tiliqua scincoides scincoides has it original tail
This Eastern Bluetongue Tiliqua scincoides scincoides was happily basking on the edge of a busy road near Wollongong, NSW. It had lost part of its tail which has started regrowing. Bluetongues may drop their tails under extreme conditions, but many lose their tails when run over on roads.
Juvenile Eastern Bluetongue Tiliqua scincoides scincoides
Pictures above are of the Common or Eastern Bluetongue - Tiliqua scincoides
scincoides. The general pattern does not vary greatly in this subspecies, unlike the Northern Bluetongue Tiliqua scincoides intermedia which has extreme geographic variation.
Note the that eye stripe may be indistinct or missing in some individuals of Tiliqua scincoides
scincoides and present in some Tiliqua scincoides intermedia.
These are captive bred hybrids between a Shinglebacks Tiliqua rugosa asper and a Common Bluetongue Tiliqua scincoides scincoides, however hybrids have occasionally been found in the wild. An adult wild caught Shingleback/bluetongue hybrid was kept on display at the South Australian Museum in the information section for many years until it was stolen. Later the South Australian Museum obtained a second adult Shingleback/bluetongue hybrid which I think was also wild caught.
I suspect one parent of each museum specimen was a Common Bluetongue Tiliqua scincoides scincoides or possibly a lowlands form of Blotched Bluetongue Tiliqua nigrolutea
NORTHERN BLUETONGUE SKINK
Tiliqua scincoides intermedia
This Northern Bluetongue Tiliqua scincoides intermedia was given to John Fowler as a baby by Bob Irwin, (Father of Steve Irwin). It came from the Gulf of Carpenteria. Some Bluetongues from the other parts of their range may look very different to this. Northern Bluetongues grow larger than Common Bluetongues
Updated March 22, 2019
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