Tiliqua nigrolutea
blotched blue-tongued lizard
(Also: goanna)

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. There are several species of blue-tongued lizards in Australia. This one, Tiliqua nigrolutea 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 (Jones and Edwards 1998, Shea 1997).

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 (Shea 1997).

Because of the great degree of human activity in New South Wales (e.g. the city of Sydney) and Tasmania, blue-tongues no longer live exclusively in the wild. Tiliqua nigrolutea 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 (Jones & Edwards 1998).

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-tongues are the largest members of the skink family (Scincidae), 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-tongues rarely lose their tails.

There are also differences between the males and females of the species. The males have 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 ((27-30cm to the males' 25-27cm). Because of this, the females are greater in mass weighing between 350 - 450g while males stay within the 300-350g range. (Cogger 2000, Jones and Edwards 1998).

Even though the blotched blue-tongued skink 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 (Cogger 2000, Jones & Edwards 1998).

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 (Shea 1997).

Blue tongues are omnivores and eat a great melange 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 catfood and soft fruits such as bananas and kiwifruit. (Cogger 2000)

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In suburban areas, the blotched blue - tongue feasts on snails, slugs and caterpillars (its usual diet) which will be plentiful in any garden or backyard (Jones & Edwards 1998).

This species is not considered to be in need of special conservation measures, though a related species, Tiliqua adelaidensis is considered endangered (Cogger 2000).

Even though Tiliqua nigrolutea survive in suburbs, many urban aspects pose a great danger for them. The blue-tongues 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 (Shea 1997).