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Centralian Blue-tongued Skink
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- Order: Squamata (scaled reptiles)
- Suborder: Lacertilia (=Sauria) (lizards)
- Family: Scincidae (skinks)
- Genus: Tiliqua (blue-tongued skinks)
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Scientific Name: Tiliqua
multifasciata Sternfeld, 1919 |
| Habitat: Arid to
semi-arid areas. |
Tiliqua=unknown origin, multi="many,"
fasciatus="bearing stripes"
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| Length: about 18 inches
total. |
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| Food: A variety of
plants and animals. |
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I found this skink on the Carpentaria Highway
shortly after sunset. I was surprised at first; it was in
the middle of the road and moved along like a miniature elephant
seal, heaving its stout body forward in short ripples of
motion. I couldn't even tell what kind of animal it was
until I turned around and backtracked to where the lizard sat at
the edge of the road. It took shelter in a spinifex clump
which didn't help the picture-taking process. The second
picture is a slightly-better shot of the lizard's head. |
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| After I had taken about 30
seconds of video, the lizard decided it had had enough and bolted
across the road in the other direction, so I continued on my way. |
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