Indonesian blue-tongued skink

Description

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). 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. 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.