Eastern Blue-tongued Skink

The eastern blue-tongued skink, Tiliqua scincoides, is a large lizard of the family Scincidae native to Australia and Tanimbar Island in Indonesia, first described in 1790, measuring upward of 60 centimeters in total length and over a kilogram in mass, with a stout body, short legs and banded coloration. Its namesake blue-violet to cobalt tongue is flashed as a warning display to startle predators. A slower-moving, relatively shy lizard, it is diurnal and omnivorous, eating insects, snails, frogs, other reptiles, small birds, small mammals, carrion and some plant material, and gives birth to live young rather than laying eggs; it is a popular pet and thrives in urban gardens where it helps control pests.