THE REPTILES OF AUSTRALIA - SKINKS

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Selection of Australian Frogs

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Skinks of Australia

CROCODILES Crocodylia Crocodilia Saltwater freshwater estuarine

REPTILES OF THE WORLD SPECIES LISTS

EASTERN BLUETONGUE SKINK
Tiliqua scincoides scincoides


This large Eastern Bluetongue (Tiliqua scincoides scincoides) photographed at Gawler Belt, SA. is flattening and tilting its body in a defensive position


This herpetological image is displayed at the Reptiles of Australia website and may be covered by Copyright by the owner of the image
Approximate distribution of the Common Bluetongue Skink Tiliqua scincoides
The Eastern Bluetongue (Tiliqua scincoides scincoides) distribution is coloured BLUE on this map

The Northern Bluetongue (Tiliqua scincoides intermedia) distribution is coloured GREEN on this map
The Tanimbar Island Blue Tongued Skink (Tiliqua scincoides chimaerea) distribution is coloured RED on this map

The 3 subspecies of the Blue Tongue Skink (Tiliqua scincoides) are listed below:-

COMMON NAME

SCIENTIFIC NAME

DISTRIBUTION

Tanimbar Island Blue Tongued Skink

Tiliqua scincoides chimaerea

Indonesia (Maluku Province: Tanimbar, Babar Islands)

Eastern Bluetongue Skink

Tiliqua scincoides scincoides

NSW, ACT, Qld, SA, Vic

Northern Bluetongue Skink

Tiliqua scincoides intermedia

NT, Qld, WA


This Eastern Bluetongue (Tiliqua scincoides scincoides) was photographed at Gawler Belt, SA.
This Eastern Bluetongue (Tiliqua scincoides scincoides) photographed at Gawler Belt, SA. is flattening and tilting its body in a defensive position - notice the dark stripe behind the eye usually seen on this subspecies



This Eastern Bluetongue (Tiliqua scincoides scincoides) photographed at Gawler Belt, SA lacks the dark stripe behind its eye that is often seen on this subspecies also note the two long scales behind the eye which occur on this species


  This Eastern Bluetongue (Tiliqua scincoides scincoides) was photographed at Gawler Belt, SA.
This Eastern Bluetongue (Tiliqua scincoides scincoides) was photographed at Gawler Belt, SA.


This Eastern Bluetongue (Tiliqua scincoides scincoides) was photographed at Sandergrove, SA.
This Eastern Bluetongue (Tiliqua scincoides scincoides) was photographed at Sandergrove, SA.

Tiliqua scincoides scincoides
This Eastern Bluetongue (Tiliqua scincoides scincoides) has it original tail


This Eastern Bluetongue Tiliqua scincoides scincoides
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.

Tiliqua scincoides scincoides
Juvenile Eastern Bluetongue (Tiliqua scincoides scincoides)


This Eastern Bluetongue (Tiliqua scincoides scincoides) was basking with its body flattened when first photographed at Studley Park, Victoria, however as I approached it, its body went back to a more normal shape - (see photo below)
This mite infested Eastern Bluetongue (Tiliqua scincoides scincoides) was photographed at Studley Park, Victoria.
Snake mite (not native) are commonly found on common bluetongues - and their white droppings that look a bit like talcum powder are often easily seen on them

This Eastern Bluetongue (Tiliqua scincoides scincoides) was photographed at Sandergrove, SA.
This Eastern Bluetongue (Tiliqua scincoides scincoides) was photographed at Sandergrove, SA.


Tiliqua scincoides scincoides
This Eastern Bluetongue (Tiliqua scincoides scincoides) was found at Breadalbane, NSW

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.


EASTERN (Common) BLUETONGUE SKINK Tiliqua scincoides scincoides
Eastern Bluetongue (Tiliqua scincoides scincoides)


This is a melanistic Eastern Bluetongue (Tiliqua scincoides scincoides), which are becoming popular in the pet trade in Australia.
They are all descended from 1 wild caught Melanistic Bluetongue.



Albino Common Bluetongue (Tiliqua scincoides scincoides) - Photo taken at the Australian Reptile Park in 1999


captive bred hybrids between a Shingleback (Tiliqua rugosa aspera) and a Common Bluetongue (Tiliqua scincoides scincoides)
These are captive bred hybrids between a Shingleback (Tiliqua rugosa aspera) 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)

LINKS OF INTEREST

Northern Bluetongue Lizard (Tiliqua scincoides intermedia)

Common Bluetongue (Tiliqua scincoides)

Tanimbar Island Blue Tongued Skink (Tiliqua scincoides chimaerea)

The Tanimbar Island Blue Tongued Skink
BlueTongueSkinks.NET 

Tiliqua scincoides chimaerea
Wikipedia

Tiliqua scincoides (WHITE, 1790)
The Reptile Database

Shingleback (Tiliqua rugosa)

Blotched Bluetongue (Tiliqua nigrolutea)

More Information about Australian Skinks


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SKINKS OF THE WORLD

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SKINK SPECIES LISTS BY STATE OR TERRITORY

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Contact John Fowler Author of the Australian Herpetology Website, Pythons of the World, - Owner of the Adelaide Reptile Forum

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Updated January 28, 2023


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