Blotched Blue-Tongued Lizard (Tiliqua nigrolutea) / Lizards - Animals and Pets Pictures

I. GEOGRAPHIC RANGE

The blotched blue-tongued lizard resides in southern parts of the Australian state of New South Wales and a smidgeon of the neighboring state of South Australia. It is restricted to the highland areas between the Victorian border and the Blue Mountains. It also occurs on Tasmania and the islands of the Bass Strait.

II. PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

Mass: 300 to 450 g.
The appearance of the blotched blue-tongued lizard is hinted in its scientific name: Tiliqua nigrolutea. Nigro and lutea mean black and yellow respectively. Indeed, this lizard is usually dark brown or black with yellow, cream or pink blotches on it.
Although the blue-tongued lizards are the largest members of the skink family, many of their characteristics differ from that of an average skink. First of all, they have an unusual body shape with a stout torso, short limbs and a thick, short tail. Furthermore, unlike smaller skinks, blue-tongued lizards rarely lose their tails.
There are also differences between the males and females of the species. The males have a proportionally bigger head and a more heavyset body. This is due to the shape of the two hemipenes (the male copulatory organs.) Females are longer in length (27-30 cm to the males' 25-27 cm). Because of this, the females are greater in mass weighing between 350-450 g while males stay within the 300-350 g range.

III. FOOD HABITS

Blotched blue-tongued lizards are omnivores and eat a great assortment of plants and animals. Since these large skinks are not particularly agile, they eat mostly slow-moving animals such as snails and beetles. Their strong jaws are fashioned to crush the shells of their prey. They have a strong liking for strawberries.
In captivity, they are given a diet of cat food and soft fruits such as bananas and kiwifruit.

IV. REPRODUCTION

Blotched blue-tongued lizards are solitary animals except during mating season. Males and females emerge from hibernation at different times. The males come out in late September while the females come forth in late October. Mating occurs soon after in the months of November and December.
Studies done at the University of Tasmania show that males begin to produce their sperm as early as the previous fall so that only the final stages of sperm production occurs in the spring. It is at this time that males fight aggressively among themselves.
The actual coital process can be very rough and violent in manner. Afterwards, females carry the scrape marks from the male's biting.
After impregnation, the embryos develop in their mother's oviduct with the help of an exceptionally well-developed placenta. The placenta contains a large yolky egg, which supplies the nutrition for the developing young.
The clutch size is generally around six. Earlier studies that put the clutch size at 25 have been dismissed because the strain would have been too much on the mother.
At birth, the newborns eat the placental membrane. Within a few days, they will shed their skin for the first time. Subsequently, the young are on their own and disperse soon after. There is virtually no parental care. Even though they are now fully independent, they will not be sexually mature for four to five years.
Because of the great toll on female lizards during their pregnancy, they are likely to only reproduce every other year. Males are reproductively active every year.

V. BEHAVIOR

Even though the blotched blue-tongued lizard is common in Australia and Tasmania, they are not often seen. They are very secretive and thus have not been frequently observed in their natural habitats. What we do know is that like other reptiles, they bathe in the sun to keep warm. To keep from getting too warm, these skinks scuttle back and forth between shady places and open areas.
In order to protect themselves, they use their trademark tongue. As a warning or display, the skink will open its mouth wide and hiss. Many times, the startling blue tongue contrasting the pink mouth will scare the predator away. If not, the lizard will flatten its ribcage and turn onto its side in order to appear larger.

VI. HABITAT

The blotched blue-tongue lizard resides in open country with lots of ground cover such as leaf litter and shrubs. At night, they find shelter under the leaf litter, rocks and logs.
Because they cannot produce their own body heat, these skinks live in areas where they can bathe in sunlight during periods of the day in the summer. They need to maintain a body temperature of 30 - 35 degrees Celsius when active.
Because of the great degree of human activity in New South Wales (e.g. the city of Sydney) and Tasmania, blotched blue-tongued lizards no longer live exclusively in the wild. They have also adapted to suburban life. They can frequently be found in backyards where some will reside for many years. They will bathe in the sun on the lawns and paths while cooling off in the rockeries, pipes and cavities under the house.

VII. ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE FOR HUMANS

Positive In suburban areas, the blotched blue-tongued lizard feasts on snails, slugs and caterpillars, which are plentiful in any garden or backyard.

VIII. CONSERVATION

This species is not considered to be in need of special conservation measures.

IX. OTHER COMMENTS

Even though blotched blue-tongued lizards survive in suburbs, many urban aspects pose a great danger for them. Those that live in the suburbs often eat snails and insects carrying human-applied insecticides. The poison sometimes kills the lizard. Another hazard for urban-dwelling lizards is lawn mowers.

Blotched Blue-Tongued Lizard (Tiliqua nigrolutea)

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