Western blue-tongued lizard

Last updated

Western blue-tongued lizard
Tiliqua occipitalis.jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Scincidae
Genus: Tiliqua
Species:
T. occipitalis
Binomial name
Tiliqua occipitalis
(Peters, 1863)
Western Blue-tongued lizard-dist.png
Range indicated by darker shading

The western blue-tongued lizard (Tiliqua occipitalis), also known as the western blue-tongued skink, is a large skink native to Australia. It is one of six species of blue-tongued skinks found in Australia, though further species are found in New Guinea and Indonesia.

The western blue-tongued lizard grows to around 45 cm (18 in) in length. It has a brown, banded pattern across the body and tail; the underside of the body is usually pale. It has distinctive black markings to the rear of each eye. The body is wide and large in comparison to the size of the legs. As its name suggests, it has a blue tongue, which contrasts with the pink interior of its mouth. When threatened, it may open its mouth and stick out its tongue in a threat display. If the initial display is unsuccessful, and the predator or threat does not retreat, it may hiss and flatten out its body in an attempt to make itself look bigger. ...

It is diurnal, hunting for insects, spiders, and snails, and foraging for plants (particularly berries) and carrion. It is not an agile lizard, so its prey tends to be slow-moving. It has powerful jaws which allow it break up snail shells and the exoskeletons of beetles. It is found in grasslands, dunes, shrublands, and sparse woodlands. It rests under leaf litter or rocks at night, and sometimes uses abandoned rabbit burrows for shelter. Blue-tongued lizards are popular pets and can live for up to 30 years in captivity, though the western blue-tongued lizard is extremely uncommon as a pet, as it is one of the rarer species.

They give birth to approximately 5 live young. The young consume the placental membrane immediately after birth, and are precocious and disperse after a few days. They have bands of yellow and brown on their bodies and tails.

The western blue-tongued lizard is found chiefly in Western Australia. It is restricted to the far south in the Northern Territory, and divided into an eastern and western population in South Australia. It is listed as "Near Threatened" in Victoria, where it is restricted to the north, and "Threatened" in New South Wales, where it exists as a population to the southwest and in a pocket in the centre of the state. Threats to the species include predation by introduced species such as the red fox and domestic cat, clearance of habitat for agriculture, and destruction of the rabbit warrens used for shelter.

Relatives

The western blue tongued lizard is related to the Tiliqua scincoides scincoides, or the eastern blue tongued skink

Western Blue-tongued Lizard (Tiliqua occipitalis) Western Blue-tongued Lizard (Tiliqua occipitalis).jpg
Western Blue-tongued Lizard (Tiliqua occipitalis)

Related Research Articles

Skink Family of reptiles

Skinks are lizards belonging to the family Scincidae, a family in the infraorder Scincomorpha. With more than 1,500 described species across 100 different taxonomic genera, the family Scincidae is one of the most diverse families of lizards. Skinks are characterized by their smaller legs in comparison to typical lizards and are mostly found in different habitats except arctic and subarctic regions.

Solomon Islands skink Species of lizard

The Solomon Islands skink, also known as prehensile-tailed skink, monkey-tailed skink, giant skink, zebra skink, and monkey skink, is an arboreal species of skink endemic to the Solomon Islands archipelago. It is the largest known extant species of skink.

Pink-tongued skink Species of lizard

The pink-tongued skink is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. C. gerrardii is endemic to Australia, where it is also called commonly the pink-tongued lizard. As suggested by these common names, its distinguishing characteristic is a pink tongue as opposed to the blue tongue of lizards of the closely related genus Tiliqua.

Blue-tongued skink Genus of lizards

Blue-tongued skinks 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. 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. Depending on the type of predator/threat that is near will determine the intensity of colour present in the tongue. In addition, their blue tongue will produce a response in the prey which will in turn diminish the attack. The tongue can also deform itself and produce a thick mucus in order to catch prey. They are relatively shy in comparison with other lizards, and also significantly slower due to their short legs.

Blotched blue-tongued lizard Species of lizard

The blotched blue-tongued lizard, also known as the southern blue-tongued lizard or blotched blue-tongued skink is a blue-tongued skink endemic to south-eastern Australia.

Cleland Conservation Park Protected area in South Australia

Cleland Conservation Park is a protected area located in the Adelaide Hills, South Australia about 22 kilometres (14 mi) south-east of the Adelaide city centre. Cleland Conservation Park conserves a significant area of natural bushland on the Adelaide Hills face and includes the internationally popular Cleland Wildlife Park and the popular tourist destinations of Mount Lofty summit and Waterfall Gully. It is maintained by the South Australian Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources (DEWNR).

Threatened fauna of Australia

Threatened fauna of Australia are those species and subspecies of birds, fish, frogs, insects, mammals, molluscs, crustaceans and reptiles to be found in Australia that are in danger of becoming extinct. This list is the list proclaimed under the Australian federal Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. The classifications are based on those used by the World Conservation Union (IUCN), however IUCN and Australian rankings do differ. Each state and territory has its own legislation relating to environmental protection.

<i>Tiliqua rugosa</i> Species of lizard

Tiliqua rugosa, most commonly known as the shingleback lizard or bobtail lizard, is a short-tailed, slow-moving species of blue-tongued skink endemic to Australia. It is commonly known as the shingleback or sleepy lizard. Three of its four recognized subspecies are found in Western Australia, where the bobtail name is most frequently used. The fourth subspecies, T. rugosa asper, is the only one native to Eastern Australia where it goes by the common name of the eastern shingleback.

Eastern blue-tongued lizard Species of reptile

The Tiliqua scincoides scincoides, or eastern blue-tongued lizard, is native to Australia. It is unique due to its blue tongue, which can be used to warn off predators. In addition to flashing its blue tongue, the skink hisses and puffs up its chest to assert dominance and appear bigger when in the presence of its predators such as large snakes and birds. The eastern blue tongue is ovoviviparous and precocial, meaning that its young are more developed and advanced at their time of birth. The Tiliqua scincoides scincoides is not poisonous to humans and can be found in suburban and urban areas, specifically in house gardens.

Cunninghams spiny-tailed skink Species of lizard

Cunningham's spiny-tailed skink or Cunningham's skink is a species of large skink, a lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is native to southeastern Australia.

Northern blue-tongued skink Subspecies of lizard

The northern blue-tongued skink is the largest and heaviest of the blue-tongued lizards. 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.

Kings skink Species of lizard

King's skink is a species of skink, a lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to Australia.

The Adelaide pygmy blue-tongue skink or pygmy bluetongue is a species of skink, a lizard in the family Scincidae. The species was previously thought to be extinct and only rediscovered in 1992. Known locations of the species extend from Kapunda in the Barossa Valley, about 90 kilometres (56 mi) north of Adelaide, northwards to Peterborough, about 254 kilometres (158 mi) north of Adelaide.

The western limestone ctenotus is a species of skink, a lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to Australia.

Irian Jaya blue tongue skink Genus of lizards

The Irian Jaya blue tongue skink is one of the least understood species of blue-tongued skink. The Irian Jaya has yet to be scientifically classified, but is arguably a different species from the other recognized members of the genus.

<i>Diplodactylus vittatus</i> Species of lizard

Diplodactylus vittatus, commonly known as the eastern stone gecko, stone gecko, and wood gecko, is a species of diplodactylid lizards that occurs in forest, shrubland and arid regions across Australia. It is widespread across the states of Queensland, Victoria and New South Wales, commonly found in dry peripheral bushlands. This gecko can be kept as a pet or seen within zoo enclosures.

<i>Tiliqua gigas</i> Species of lizard

Tiliqua gigas is a close relative of the Eastern blue-tongued lizard. They are endemic to the island of New Guinea and other various surrounding islands. They are found typically in the rainforest, and in captivity, require high humidity. As opposed to Tiliqua scincoides, they are fairly lean. They're also accompanied by long tails. There are currently three subspecies of Tiliqua gigas. First subspecies to be recognized is Tiliqua gigas gigas, in which are simply called the Indonesian blue-tongued skink. The second subspecies is Tiliqua gigas keyensis, typically called the Kei island blue-tongued skink. Lastly, there is Tiliqua gigas evanescens, which is called the Merauke blue-tongued skink.

<i>Tiliqua scincoides</i> Species of lizard

Tiliqua scincoides is a species of skink. It is native to Australia as well as to the Tanimbar and Babar Islands in the Maluku Province of Indonesia.

Centralian blue-tongued skink Species of lizard

The Centralian blue-tongued skink or Centralian blue-tongue is a species of skink, occurring predominantly in the far north-west corner of New South Wales, Australia. It is one of six species belonging to the genus Tiliqua; the blue-tongued skinks and the shinglebacks.

Stokess skink Species of lizard

Egernia stokesii is a gregarious species of lizard of the Scincidae family. This diurnal species is endemic to Australia, and is also known as the Gidgee skink, spiny-tailed skink, Stokes's skink and Stokes's egernia. The species forms stable, long-term social aggregations, much like the social groups seen in mammalian and avian species. This characteristic is rarely found in the Squamata order, but is widespread within the Australian subfamily of Egerniinae skinks. Populations of E. stokesii are widely distributed, but fragmented, and occur in semi-arid environments. There are three recognised subspecies. The conservation status for the species is listed as least concern, however, one subspecies is listed as endangered.

References

  1. Sanderson, C.; Craig, M.; Lloyd, R.; Gaikhorst, G. (2017). "Tiliqua occipitalis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2017: e.T109481481A109481505. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T109481481A109481505.en . Retrieved 19 November 2021.