Giant Blue-tongued Skink

About the Giant Blue-tongued Skink

The Indonesian blue-tongued skink (Tiliqua gigas) is a lizard in the family Scincidae. It is a close relative of the eastern blue-tongued skink. They are endemic to the island of New Guinea and other various surrounding islands. They are found typically in the rainforest, and in captivity, require high humidity. In comparison to Tiliqua scincoides, they are fairly lean. They also have long tails (60–90% of their snout-vent length).

Tiliqua gigas has an elongated body and very small limbs, which is typical of most skinks of the genus. They typically get up to 46-61 centimetres (18-24 inches) in length and weigh up to 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds). They are known for their thinner, elongated tails, and avoiding participation in seasonal brumation as they regulate their breeding cycle on a wet and dry season.

The subspecies T. gigas gigas is the most tropical and known for having the skinniest tail. They have solid, dark, or near solid dark limbs. Tiliqua gigas evanescens are easily recognized for having slightly more colored speckling on their limbs, a single, centered stripe on the back of their neck, and not always but most often, having very thin body banding. They also... Wikipedia →