Eastern Blue Tongue Lizard (Tiliqua scincoides) - Best Lizard in Australia

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DESCRIPTION
Blue-tongued lizards are the largest members of the skink family. The Eastern Blue-tongue is silvery-grey with broad dark brown or blackish bands across the back and tail. The legs are small and can often be overlooked, a situation which sometimes means the harmless bluetongue, with its large triangular head, is mistaken for a dangerous snake and inadvertently killed. The Eastern Blue-tongue can grow to almost 600 mm in total length, of which about 360 mm is head and body.

LOCATION
The eastern bluetongue is a common lizard of eastern and northern Australia. Its natural habitat is woodland, grassland and heath country but it readily adapts to urban and suburban gardens and parks where it fulfills a valuable role in controlling pests such as slugs and snails. Blue-tongues usually live in open country with lots of ground cover such as tussocky grasses or leaf litter. They shelter at night among leaf litter or under large objects on the ground such as rocks and logs. Early in the morning blue-tongues emerge to bask in sunny areas before foraging for food during the warmer parts of the day. Like all lizards, blue-tongues do not produce their own body heat, and rely on the warmth of their surroundings to raise their body temperature. Blue-tongues maintain a body temperature of about 30°C - 35°C when active. During cold weather they remain inactive, buried deep in their shelter sites, but on sunny days they may emerge to bask.

FOOD
Blue-tongues eat a wide variety of both plants and animals. Blue-tongues are not very agile and the animals they eat are mostly slow-moving. Their teeth are large and they have strong jaw muscles so they can crush snail shells and beetles. My pet blue tongue lizards eat banana and mince meat.

BREEDING
Bluetongues produce live young. Huge litters of up to thirty miniature lizards may be produced in late summer after the female has mated in late spring. The Eastern Blue-tongue is able to breed every year if it has sufficient food. The embryos develop in the female's oviduct with the help of a placenta, which is as well-developed as that of many mammals. At birth, the young eat the placental membranes, and within a few days shed their skin for the first time. The young are ready to look after themselves straight after birth, and disperse within a few days. Of all the blue-tongues, the Eastern Blue-tongue has the largest litters and the smallest young; up to 19 (but usually about 10) young blue tongues are born.

Eastern Blue-tongues probably become adults at about three years of age when they have a total length of about 400 mm. Blue-tongues are long-lived. Several captive animals have lived for 20 years, and they may live much longer.


BLUE TONGUE LIZARDS
Common Blue-tongued Lizards (“Blue-tongues”) are named after their bright blue fleshy tongue, which contrasts with their pink mouths. They use their tongue as a defence tool to scare off predators. When Blue-tongues feel threatened they stick out their tongue to frighten predators. They are also known to hiss when threatened. Blue-tongues are not venomous, but may try to bite if handled. If you come across one around your home, it’s best to leave it alone. It won’t harm you or any of your pets.



Blue-tongues don’t just smell by using their nose. They also have an organ, called a ‘Jacobson’s Organ’, on the roof of their mouth, which they use to sense chemicals that are emitted by their prey (e.g. insects). Blue-tongues use this to detect their prey.


HELP EASTERN BLUE TONGUE LIZARDS
Blue-tongues are beneficial to your garden, as theyreduce the number of plant eating insects such as snails and slugs. To help protect Blue-tongue habitat, you can maintain a lizard friendly garden by leaving logs and rocks on the ground to provide shelter. You can also reduce or eliminate the use of snail bait. Blue-tongues eat the snails and slugs that are killed by the bait, which in turn poisons the Blue-tongues. On warm days, Blue-tongues lie on hot surfaces suchas roads. As they are easily camouflaged and slow to move, please be alert and careful when driving. All cats are natural hunters and Blue-tongues are common prey. If you own a cat keep it indoors at night. Never dump cats or kittens in the bush. Take them to an animal shelter or have them humanely put down. Never try to feed Blue-tongues as they have specific diets.

NO WILD ANIMALS WERE USED IN THE PRODUCTION OF THESE FILMS