Tiliqua scincoides scincoides

Eastern Blue-tongued Skink

Leaves and small shelters offer a world close to the ground.

Reference photo, not the individual on display. Credits appear below.

Care commitment Specialist setup

Habitat Ground & cover

Visiting Watch quietly

Meet your new acquaintance

Nickname Eastern Blue Tongue

Diurnal and terrestrial

Species highlights

A flash of blue

Blue contrasts strongly with the pink mouth, but timing changes its meaning. A brief exploratory tongue movement differs from an open-mouth defensive display.

Tongue use also contributes to collecting chemical information. One organ appears in different tasks, alongside head and body movement.

Following spontaneous tongue-flicking along a route makes the colour part of sensing and behaviour, rather than a visitor-triggered trademark.

Feature sources:

San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Library · Eastern Blue-tongued Skink

At a glance

The eastern blue-tongue is the nominate subspecies of Tiliqua scincoides, native to eastern and southeastern Australia. It is active mainly by day on the ground, using litter, grass and fallen timber to alternate between foraging and shelter.

A low body moves through litter and vegetation, linking open feeding ground with sheltered microhabitats.

Plants and invertebrates support an omnivorous diet, and females bear live young. A brief exploratory tongue movement and an extended open-mouth display occur in different contexts; body posture and surrounding events matter as much as seeing the blue colour.

Common names Eastern Blue-tongued Skink; Tiliqua scincoides scincoides

Scientific name Tiliqua scincoides scincoides

Native rangeEastern and southeastern Australia and nearby regions

Adult sizeOften about 40–60 cm total length

ActivityDiurnal and terrestrial

Diet Combine varied suitable plant foods with appropriate insects or other invertebrates. Maintain calcium and overall nutritional balance instead of relying on meat mixtures, fruit or fatty insects.

Habitat & care

Provide ground space, substrate, cover, UVB, a local basking area and water. Avoid a fruit-only or meat-only diet.

Values guide routine care, not breeding or brumation. Dimensions are length × width × height for one adult unless stated otherwise; larger animals need more space.

TemperatureBasking surface 40–46°C Cool-end air 21–27°C. Read the platform with an infrared thermometer and cool air with a separate probe.

Humidity40–60% Measure relative humidity at the cool end; offer water and a moist retreat while keeping the main surface dry.

LightingUVB UVI 3–4 Measure UVI at the animal’s back height and provide full shade; lamp, distance and mesh all affect the reading.

Space120×60×60 cm Recommended starting size; provide warm and cool hides, water and unobstructed movement routes.

Look a little closer

Compare the broad head, short limbs and long trunk, then watch passage through litter or a retreat entrance. Follow a forefoot lifting and settling and the hind foot on that side following. Tongue-flicks add another timing cue between movements.

Care note: Allow ground exploration and cover, and monitor body condition.

About this profile

Size ranges are reference values; sex, origin and age affect appearance.

Profile status: Reference profile · Reviewed 2026-10-20

References (5)

Photo: Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Eastern_blue-tongued_lizard_(Tiliqua_scincoides_scincoides)_-_2022_werrington_lake_reserve_sydney_2.jpg CC0 · Original image, credit and licence

Behaviour notes describe the species, not a promise about every individual. These care notes introduce its needs; ask our team about the animal on display and any supervised encounters.