Blue Tongue Lizards in Beechworth

Blue Tongue Lizard in Beechworth There are six species of blue-tongued lizards or skinks in Australia and vary considerably in colour and size. Those found in Beechworth Victoria are commonly grey with broad brown stripes across their back and tail and approximately 550 millimetres long. The Common or Eastern Blue-tongue Lizard (Tiliqua scincoides) is regularly found in Beechworth and is the most widespread of the Australian Blue-tongued Lizards.

Blue tongued lizards have unusual body proportions with a large head, short legs and toes. They have a tail which tapers in and is shorter than the body. Male blue tongue lizards have a proportionally larger head than females but the females do grow bigger than their male counterparts.

Blue-tongue lizards tend to live in areas with plenty of ground cover including fallen wood, rocky terrain and grassed areas. They will seek cover amongst leaf litter on the ground or other large objects. During the early morning blue-tongues sun bake and then begin their search for food during the warmer parts of the day. As with all lizards blue-tongues do not generate their own body heat and are dependant on the heat produced by their surroundings to raise their body temperature. Blue-tongues have an active body temperature of about 30°C - 35°C when active. During cold weather they remain inactive under ground covers.

Blue-tongue lizards are solitary creatures only coming together live during the mating season which generally runs from September to November. The Common Blue-tongue Lizard has a litter of up to 25 young, each measuring 13 to 14 cm long and weighing only 10 to 20 g. The Common Blue-tongued Lizard breeds annually as opposed to other species of lizards which only breed only every second year

Blue-tongued lizards can shed their tail very quickly, usually to avoid capture by a predator. Surprisingly the stump heals quickly and a new tail grows within twelve months.

Blue Tongue Lizards in Beechworth