Northern blue-tongued skink facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Northern blue-tongued skink |
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Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Family: | Scincidae |
| Genus: | Tiliqua |
| Species: | |
| Subspecies: |
T. s. intermedia
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| Trinomial name | |
| Tiliqua scincoides intermedia Mitchell, 1955
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The northern blue-tongued skink (Tiliqua scincoides intermedia) is a fascinating lizard. It's the biggest and heaviest of all the blue-tongued lizards. These cool reptiles come from Australia. You'll mostly find them in the northern parts of the country. They can live for about 20 years. Many people also keep them as pets.
What Do They Look Like?
The northern blue-tongued skink is a type of eastern blue-tongued lizard. It has very special patterns and colors. These skinks are often bright orange or a soft peachy color. Some can even be yellowish. They have darker stripes along their sides and backs. Their bellies are usually a lighter, creamy color.
One of their most famous features is their bright blue tongue! They often stick out this blue tongue to scare away predators. Their legs are quite short and small. This is especially true when you compare them to their long, wide bodies. These skinks can grow to be about 22 inches long.
How Do They Reproduce?
Northern blue-tongued skinks breed once every year. When a male finds a female he likes, he will follow her. He uses his scent to show his interest. Mating can be a bit rough for these lizards. The male will hold the female firmly by biting her. This is the only time males act this way towards females.
These skinks are ovoviviparous. This means the mother carries her babies inside her body. They hatch from eggs inside her. Then they are born live. The pregnancy lasts for about 100 days. A mother usually gives birth to 4 to 6 young skinks. The baby skinks look just like the adults. They only have small differences in their coloring. A few days after birth, the young skinks wander off on their own. They start eating small insects and fruit right away.
