Eastern blue-tongued lizard

Eastern blue-tongued lizard - bunmurra

What are eastern blue-tongued lizards?

Eastern blue-tongued lizards, scientifically known as Tiliqua scincoides, are one of the largest members of the skink family. They are known for their bright blue tongues and commonly found in the eastern and northern parts of Australia.

The Darug name for blue-tongued lizard is bunmarra.

What do eastern blue-tongued lizards look like?

Eastern blue-tongued lizards are covered in smooth, overlapping scales that contain small plates of bone. They can be many different colours however are most commonly silvery grey colour underneath with black and/or brown bands across their back and tails.

Eastern blue-tongued lizards are known for their bright blue tongue. 

Features of a blue-tongue lizard | YouTube | Field of Mars EEC (1:07 min) | Video transcript

Where do eastern blue-tongued lizards live?

Eastern blue-tongued lizards are found throughout the east coast of Australia from Queensland down into Victoria.

Blue-tongued lizards prefer an open habitat with lots of ground cover like grass tussocks and leaf litter. They shelter at night among the leaf litter or under large objects such as rocks and logs. In the morning they can be found basking in the sun before they move to forage for food once the day warms up. 

Like all reptiles, eastern blue-tongued lizards are ectothermic meaning they do not produce their own body heat and must rely on the warmth of the external environment to heat their body. During winter they may remain inactive and buried, only emerging on sunny days to bask in the sun.

What do eastern blue-tongued lizards eat?

Eastern blue-tongued lizards are omnivores, meaning they eat both plants and animals. They eat a wide variety of native wildflowers and fruits, carrion, insects and other lizards. Slugs and snails are also a favourite food item as eastern blue-tongued lizards are not agile and therefore mostly eat slow-moving animals.

How do eastern blue-tongued lizards reproduce and develop?

Mating between eastern blue-tongued lizards occurs between September and November. During this time males may fight between each other while trying to find a female mate. Eastern blue-tongued lizards will breed every year if they have enough food.

Unlike most reptiles who lay their eggs, female eastern blue-tongued lizards give birth to live young. Females give birth to an average of ten live babies in a clutch. They are usually born in December and January when it is warm. Eastern blue-tongued lizards are ready to disperse and look after themselves straight after birth. 

Eastern blue-tongued lizards measure around 14 cm long at birth from the tip of their snout to the end of their tail. They can grow up to 30 cm long from the tip of their snouth to their back legs. They can live up to and over 20 years old. 

What adaptations do eastern blue-tongued lizards have to their environment?

Blue-tongued lizards have a number of adaptations to help them survive in their environment. Their ear openings at the back of their heads protect their ear membranes from dirt as they nuzzle through the leaf litter. Scales over the ear openings further prevent dirt from entering these openings. 

When threatened, a blue-tongued lizard will turn towards the threat, open their mouth wide and stick out their bright blue tongue (which contrasts vividly to their pink mouth) to frighten away predators. They will also hiss and flatten their body to make themselves look bigger.

The colour of the scales on a blue-tongued lizard help them to blend in with their surroundings. This is called camouflage.

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