Skinks

From Tropical Topics newsletter, No. 78 June 2003, produced by Stella Martin at the Queensland Environmental Protection Agency. Download the PDF to read the whole issue. Acknowledgements to Russell Best, Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service and Tony Griffiths, Key Centre for Tropical Wildlife, Charles Darwin University.

Family Scincidae | Common bluetongue lizard | Major skink |

Family Scincidae

If the bluetongue lizard sticks its tongue out at you and hisses, take heed of the warning. While not venomous, bites are painful. The largest Australian skink is claimed for both the land mullet at 58 cm total length and the common bluetongue at 56 cm total length.

Skinks are the most numerous of lizards with 1300 species in the world and about 300 species in Australia, found in all environments. They tend to be smooth and usually glossy. Most eat insects, some eat other lizards and others eat fruits, flowers, leaves and fungi.

Common bluetongue lizard (Tiliqua scincoides)

At 56cm total length, this lizard is one of the world’s largest skinks. It is found across the northern tropics (but not in rainforest) and along the eastern and south-eastern part of the continent. It is a thickset lizard with small legs and a more-or-less banded back which varies according to location. It can be active on warm nights as well as during the day and eats insects, snails and vegetable material such as fruits. When alarmed this skink opens its pink mouth, hisses and sticks out a dark blue tongue in warning. If this is ignored, it can deliver a painful bite. Generally slow-moving it can move rapidly if necessary. There are several species of bluetongues, all of which give birth to live young.

Major skink (Egernia frerei)

This skink is found along the east coast of Queensland to the New South Wales border and in Arnhemland, patterns and colouring varying according to location. It is a large skink, up to 39 cm in total body length, thickset and generally glossy brown, and can be seen sunning itself at the edge of open forest or rainforest. It eats insects, snails, other lizards and vegetable material and lives in small communities in complex burrow systems.

Confusingly, the related, and similar, Egernia major is commonly known as the land mullet. It is found in south east Queensland and northern New South Wales.