They have become a common sight in suburban gardens and can even be viewed as pest control, as they eat all of the insects and bugs that eat flowers and vegetables. They have even been known to steal dog food if they can get it!
The Blue Tongued Skink Tiliqua Scincoides is a timid and shy lizard, made distinctive by its vividly blue tongue. When threatened, they will puff themselves up and stick out their tongue, which is an impressive sight due to its brightness combined with its very pink mouth. This is done to make predators think it is poisonous, as bright colours usually indicate this in animals and plants. It's only a bluff in this case though, so hopefully no predators figure this out!
They are slow lizards, mainly due to their wide, flat body and short, stubby legs. They can grow to almost 2 feet in length when fully mature and gain powerful jaws, which they use to crack open the shells of beetles and snails.
