Blotched Blue-tongued Lizard

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Blotched Blue-tongued Lizard, Tiliqua nigrolutea

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Family:	Scincidae
Genus:	Tiliqua
Species:	T. nigrolutea

Binomial name

Tiliqua nigrolutea
Quoy & Gaimard, 1824

The Blotched Blue-tongued Lizard (Tiliqua nigrolutea) is a reptile with a long blue tongue.

The lizard is about 35 cm long and is found in woodland. It is an omnivore with a diet consisting of leaves, flowers, slow moving invertebrates, and small vertebrates. It has heavily lidded eyes that are well protected. The anus can excrete a foul smelling musk. They are found on Tasmania and south eastern parts of Australia.

Blotched blue-tongues emerge from hibernation in late September (in Tasmania), mate in late October, and babies are born in autumn (March-April). These large skinks are viviparous (give birth to live young) and long-lived (anecdotally 20 years or more).

The Blotched Blue-tongued Lizard is among the animals identified from the Pleistocene fossil sites of the Naracoorte Caves.

[edit] References

Edwards A, Jones S.M. and Davies N.W. (2005). Patterns of peripheral steroid metabolism vary with sex, season and tissue type in blotched blue-tongued lizards (Tiliqua nigrolutea). Gen. Comp. Endocrinol. 140 14-24.
Edwards A, and Jones S.M. (2004). Parturition in the blotched blue-tongued lizard, Tiliqua nigrolutea, in captivity. Herpetofauna. 34 113-118.
Edwards A. and Jones S.M. (2003). Mating behaviour in the blotched blue-tongued lizard, Tiliqua nigrolutea, in captivity. Herpetofauna 33 60-64.
Edwards A., Jones S.M. and Davies N.W. (2003). Sex and season influence gonadal steroid biosynthetic pathways, end-product production and steroid conjugation in blotched blue-tongued lizards (Tiliqua nigrolutea). Gen. Comp. Endocrinol. 134 131-138.
Edwards A., Jones S.M. and Davies N.W. (2002). A possible alternative to 17β-estradiol in a viviparous lizard, Tiliqua nigrolutea. Gen. Comp. Endocrinol. 129 114-121.
Edwards A., Jones S.M., and Wapstra, E. (2002). Multiennial reproduction in females of a viviparous skink, Tiliqua nigrolutea. Herpetologica 58 407-414.
Gartrell B.D., Girling, J.E., Edwards A., and Jones S.M. (2002). Comparison of noninvasive methods for the evaluation of female reproductive condition in a large viviparous lizard, Tiliqua nigrolutea. Zoo Biol. 21 253-268.
Atkins, A., Jones S.M. and Edwards A. (2002). Fecal testosterone concentrations may not be useful for monitoring reproductive status in male blue-tongued lizards (Tiliqua nigrolutea: Scincidae) J. Herpetol. 36 106-109.
Edwards A. and Jones S.M. (2001). Changes in plasma progesterone, estrogen and testosterone concentrations throughout the annual reproductive cycle in female viviparous blue-tongued skinks, Tiliqua nigrolutea, (Scincidae), in Tasmania. Gen. Comp. Endocrinol. 122 260-269.
Edwards A. and Jones S.M. (2001). Changes in plasma testosterone, estrogen and progesterone concentrations throughout the annual reproductive cycle in male viviparous blue-tongued skinks, Tiliqua nigrolutea, (Scincidae), in Tasmania. J.Herpetol.35 293-299.