Tanimbar blue tongue skink

Blue-tongued skink

Blue means "boo!"
Type
lizard

Reptiles

Area
Australia
Australia
Endangered Status

Stable

facts

size
up to 2 feet
length
A soccer ball is 9 inches high.
A blue-tongued skink's size compared to a soccer ball
food
meat,
insects, fruit, plants
omnivore
omnivore

They also eat snails, worms, and flowers.

habitat
desert,
grassland, forest
Desert cactus habitat

description

Blue-tongued skink sticking out its blue tongue as its held in a keeper's hand

A blue tongue?

Have you ever stuck your tongue out at someone? For people, it is considered bad manners, but for this lizard, it’s a way to scare off a predator!

A skink opens its mouth wide to display its tongue

Keep away!

A blue-tongued skink spends most of the day searching for food. When a predator threatens a skink, the lizard puffs up its body to look bigger. At the same time, it opens its mouth and hisses while sticking out its bright blue tongue. The sudden flash of color may surprise and confuse the predator just long enough for the skink to scurry away.

A blue-tongued skinks crawls across grass as it sticks its tongue out

Living with skinks

Blue-tongued skinks are found in both Australia and New Guinea. In Australia, blue-tongued skinks are very common and are often seen in people's yards, where they eat insect pests. Because they live among humans, blue-tongued skinks have to watch out for dogs and cats, as well as their other natural predators, such as snakes and kookaburras.