Stats

Lifespan

15-20 yrs

Size

Large

Diet

Omnivore

Activity

Diurnal

Social

Solitary

Biome

Temperate woodland

Range

Australia

Movement

Walking

Breeding

Live Birth

Defense

Warning Colors

Status

Uncommon

About

Australia's largest skink, famous for flashing its vivid cobalt-blue tongue to startle predators — a bluff that works because the tongue resembles a venomous snake. Unlike most lizards, it gives birth to live young in litters of up to 25.

Life cycle

1. 1.
   hatchling

   A miniature lizard cuts itself free from its egg and starts hunting tiny insects within days.
2. 2.
   juvenile

   A juvenile sheds repeatedly as it grows, often duller-colored than adults and quick to dart for cover.
3. 3.
   adult

   Fully grown with adult coloration and size.

Learn more

• Read on Wikipedia →
• View on iNaturalist →

Taxonomy

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Reptilia

Order

Squamata

Family

Scincidae

Genus

Tiliqua

Species

Tiliqua scincoides