THE REPTILES OF AUSTRALIA

AUSTRALIAN REPTILE PHOTOS AND INFORMATION
Covering Australian Snakes and Lizards, Crocodiles and Turtles

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COLUBRID SNAKES - Colubridae Homalopsidae Mud Snakes

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SEA SNAKES - Hydrophiinae Laticaudidae Sea Kraits

FILE SNAKES - Acrochordidae

BLIND SNAKES - Worm Snakes - Typhlopidae Ramphotyphlops

TURTLES Tortoises Chelonii Testudines

DRAGON LIZARDS Agamas Agamidae

GECKO LIZARDS Gekkonidae

LEGLESS LIZARDS Pygopodidae Pygopods

MONITOR LIZARDS Goannas Varanids Varanidae

SKINK LIZARDS Scincidae

CROCODILES Crocodylia Crocodilia Saltwater freshwater estuarine

EASTERN BLUETONGUE SKINK
Tiliqua scincoides scincoides

Tiliqua scincoides scincoides

The Eastern Bluetongue Tiliqua scincoides scincoides is found in the Eastern and Southern parts of the range of the Common Bluetongue Tiliqua scincoides whereas the other subspecies called the Northern Bluetongue Tiliqua scincoides intermedia is found in Northern and Western parts of the range.

MAP  Tiliqua scincoides intermedia Reptiles of Australia
Distribution map showing approximate distribution of both subspecies of Common Bluetongue Tiliqua scincoides

COMMON NAME

SCIENTIFIC NAME

DISTRIBUTION

Eastern Blue-Tongued Lizard

Tiliqua scincoides scincoides

NSW, ACT, Qld, SA, Vic

Northern Blue-Tongued Lizard

Tiliqua scincoides intermedia

NT, Qld, WA


Note the that eye stripe may be indistinct or missing in some individuals of the Eastern Bluetongue Tiliqua scincoides scincoides (see the photo above) and present in some Northern Bluetongues Tiliqua scincoides intermedia, and is not a reliable method to tell the subspecies apart.

Tiliqua scincoides scincoides
This dark Eastern Bluetongue Tiliqua scincoides scincoides was found at Breadalbane, NSW

EASTERN (Common) BLUETONGUE SKINK Tiliqua scincoides scincoides  
Typical head markings on an Eastern Bluetongue Tiliqua scincoides scincoides also notice the long scales directly behind the eye.

Tiliqua scincoides scincoides
Pictures above are of the Eastern Bluetongue - Tiliqua scincoides scincoides.
The general pattern does not vary greatly in this subspecies, unlike the Northern Bluetongue Tiliqua scincoides intermedia which has extreme geographic variation.



These are captive bred hybrids between a Shingleback Tiliqua rugosa asper and a Common Bluetongue Tiliqua scincoides scincoides, however hybrids have occasionally been found in the wild. An adult wild caught Shingleback/bluetongue hybrid was kept on display at the South Australian Museum in the information section for many years until it was stolen. Later the South Australian Museum obtained a second adult Shingleback/bluetongue hybrid which I think was also wild caught. I suspect one parent of each museum specimen was a Common Bluetongue Tiliqua scincoides scincoides or possibly a lowlands form of Blotched Bluetongue Tiliqua nigrolutea


LINKS OF INTEREST


Shingleback Tiliqua rugosa asper

Blotched Bluetongue Tiliqua nigrolutea

Northern Bluetongue Tiliqua scincoides intermedia

Click here for a complete list of Australian Skinks

Click here for a complete list of Skinks found in South Australia

Click here for a complete list of Skinks found in the ACT

Click here for more information about Australian Skinks

Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia 7th Edition.jpg A Complete Guide to Reptiles of Australia 5th edition Edition

OTHER LINKS

Find a Random Species of Australian Reptile

Visit the Australian Herpetology Website

About John Fowler | About John Hollister | Report Faulty Link | Report an Error | Contact John Fowler Author of the Australian Herpetology Website and Holiday in Kos - Owner of the Adelaide Reptile Forum

Contact John Hollister Author of John Hollister Reptile Collection - Herping the Trans-Pecos & Rattlesnake Roundup

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Updated March 22, 2019

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