Shingleback lizard

Tiliqua rugosa · The shingleback lizard is a short-tailed, slow-moving blue-tongued skink endemic to Australia.

Also called Shingleback skink, Bobtail lizard, Sleepy lizard, Two-headed skink, Stumpy-tailed lizard.

Shingleback lizard
Photo: Calistemon, CC BY-SA 4.0
Shingleback lizard
Photo: Brad Hiller, CC BY-SA 4.0
Shingleback lizard
Photo: Gnangcomapp, CC BY-SA 4.0

Taxonomy

KingdomAnimalia
PhylumChordata
ClassReptilia
OrderSquamata
FamilyScincidae
GenusTiliqua
SpeciesTiliqua rugosa

Where it lives

Dry scrub and grassland of southern and western Australia.

Fun facts

  • Unlike most skinks, shinglebacks can't drop off their tails to escape a predator's grip.
  • While most live 10 to 15 years, some shinglebacks have survived up to 50 years in the wild.
  • It sheds its entire skin in one piece, even the covering over its eyes.
  • These lizards can smell wildfire smoke and react by pacing and flicking their tongues more often.

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Facts and taxonomy adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).