Northern Blue-tongued Skink
Encyclopedia
Northern Blue-tongued Skinks (Tiliqua scincoides intermedia) are the largest and heaviest of the Blue-tongued Lizards (Scincidae Tiliqua). They are native to Australia
and found almost exclusively in the Northern Region
. They generally live around 20 years and are commonly kept as pets.
(T. s. scincoides). Similar to other blue-tongued lizards, the Northern Blue-tongued Skink has a very distinctive patterning. Northerns tend to be a bright orange to soft peachy orange or even a yellowish colour with darker stripes along their sides and back, with a lighter creamier colour on their bellies. As their name would suggest, they also have a bright blue tongue that is often used to warn off or startle predators. Their legs are short and small compared to the length and width of their bodies. They can grow to approximately 24 inches (61 cm) total length.
Northern Blue-tongued skinks are ovoviviparous. Their gestation period is roughly 100 days with 15 to 20 babies born per litter. The offspring look the same as the adults with only slight variations to colouring. The babies wander off on their own and begin eating small insects and fruit a few days after birth.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and found almost exclusively in the Northern Region
Northern Australia
The term northern Australia is generally known to include two State and Territories, being Queensland and the Northern Territory . The part of Western Australia north of latitude 26° south—a definition widely used in law and State government policy—is also usually included...
. They generally live around 20 years and are commonly kept as pets.
Appearance
The Northern Blue-tongued Skink (Tiliqua scincoides intermedia) is a subspecies of the Eastern Blue-tongued SkinkEastern blue-tongued lizard
The Eastern Blue-tongued Lizard is a subspecies of large skink which is common throughout Eastern Australia, often found in bushland and suburban areas where conditions are suitable...
(T. s. scincoides). Similar to other blue-tongued lizards, the Northern Blue-tongued Skink has a very distinctive patterning. Northerns tend to be a bright orange to soft peachy orange or even a yellowish colour with darker stripes along their sides and back, with a lighter creamier colour on their bellies. As their name would suggest, they also have a bright blue tongue that is often used to warn off or startle predators. Their legs are short and small compared to the length and width of their bodies. They can grow to approximately 24 inches (61 cm) total length.
Breeding
The breeding season occurs once yearly. When a male finds a suitable female he will scent mark her and follow her. Mating is aggressive and the male will hold the female down by biting her. Damage to the scales and light bleeding are common. This is the only time males are aggressive towards females.Northern Blue-tongued skinks are ovoviviparous. Their gestation period is roughly 100 days with 15 to 20 babies born per litter. The offspring look the same as the adults with only slight variations to colouring. The babies wander off on their own and begin eating small insects and fruit a few days after birth.
See also
- List of reptiles
- SkinkSkinkSkinks are lizards belonging to the family Scincidae. Together with several other lizard families, including Lacertidae , they comprise the superfamily or infraorder Scincomorpha...
- Blue-tongued skink
- Lists of reptiles by region