Tiliqua gigas

Indonesian blue-tongued skink
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Family:	Scincidae
Genus:	Tiliqua
Species:	T. gigas
Binomial name
Tiliqua gigas (Schneider, 1801)

The Indonesian blue-tongued skink (Tiliqua gigas) is a lizard in the family Scincidae. It is a close relative of the Eastern blue-tongued lizard. They are endemic to the island of New Guinea and other various surrounding islands. They are found typically in the rainforest, and in captivity, require high humidity. As opposed to Tiliqua scincoides, they are fairly lean. They're also accompanied by long tails (60–90% of their snout-vent length).

Description

Tiliqua gigas has an elongated body and very small limbs, which is typical of most skinks of the genus. They typically get up to 18-24 inches (46-61 centimeters) in length and weigh 1.5 pounds (700 grams), slightly more than its Australian counterparts.

Subspecies

There are currently three subspecies of Tiliqua gigas. First subspecies to be recognized is Tiliqua gigas gigas (Schneider, 1801), in which are simply called the Indonesian blue-tongued skink. The second subspecies is Tiliqua gigas keyensis (Oudemans, 1894), typically called the Kei island blue-tongued skink. Lastly, there is Tiliqua gigas evanescens, which is called the Merauke blue-tongued skink.

See also

• Eastern blue-tongued skink

Further reading

• https://www.tiliqua-time.com