ANIMAL: Northern Blue-Tongued Skink Tiliqua intermedia Type of Animal: Skink Habitat: Forests, woodlands, grasslands, savanna woodland, savanna, scrubland, semi-desert, desert, agricultural areas, brush steppes, gardens, backyards, parks, urban/suburban areas Location(s): N Australia Appearance: Named for distinct cobalt blue tongue, large head, small legs, pattern of dark brown bars on light brown/cream, bright orange, soft peachy orange, or yellow background, faint eye stripe, shiny scales, light creamy belly, males smaller w/ wider head, females bigger w/ thin head Food/Diet: Fruit, vegetables, greens, leaves, snails, insects, worms, insect larvae, grubs, eggs, small mammals, flowers, berries, carrion, melons, smaller reptiles Status in Wild: Stable Conservation: Breeding from zoos & private breeders Lifestyle: Solitary Additional Info: Called: Male Female Young Group-Solitary Weight: Male-1.32 lbs Female-1.98 lbs Young-1 oz Gestation: 3 months Life Span: 20 years Body Length: Male-1.5 ft Female-2 ft Young-0.5 ft Tail Length: 0.5 ft Main predators of adults are dogs, cats, quolls, dingoes, predatory birds, snakes, foxes, & monitor lizards. Young preyed on by variety of mammals, reptiles, & birds. Sexually mature at 2 years old. They are ovoviviparous, giving birth to 4-20 live young. Mating very aggressive, w/ male biting female often causing scale damage & light bleeding. Males often fight to the death during breeding season. They spend all their time on the ground. They’re diurnal (active during the day). They tend to be slow moving animals. Largest of the Blue-Tongued Skinks. Sometimes accidentally killed by lawn mowers. They shed their skin in pieces. Beneficial since they eat lots of invertebrates. Fun Fact(s): They make great pets due to docile temperament. They can shed their tail to escape predators & then regrow it. When threatened, they puff up body, stick out signature blue tongue, & hiss. If this doesn’t work, they will bite hard (even though it doesn’t have well-defined teeth). Ingests stones to help digest their food.
