DWS - Animal Facts - Centralian Blue Tongue

Dreamtime Wildlife Sanctuary
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Centralian Blue Tongue

The Centralian Blue Tongue is one of Australia's only desert-dwelling Blue Tongues. Like all other Blue Tongues, it gives birth to live young. The average litter is 2 to 6 babies.

There are some differences between this Blue Tongue and other Blue Tongues. These differences are adaptations to help the lizard survive in the harsh desert environment.

Their body colour is more reddish to help camouflage against the desert's red sand.

Like the Shingleback, the Centralian Blue Tongue's ears are protected by a thick layer of skin. This is to keep sand and seeds out of the animal's ears when hunting for food.

Fast Facts

Name:

Centralian Blue Tongue (Tiliqua multifasciata)

Type:

Skink - lizard

Size:

Up to 30 cm total length

Distribution:

Inland Australia

Habitat:

Deserts

Food:

Anything it can fit in its mouth!

This species of Blue Tongue has a more slender tail than other species as it seems to store fat reserves in the body area rather than in its tail.

The Centralian Blue Tongue feeds on a lot of grasshoppers and other bugs in the wild. They do not attain the length and weight that many other species of Blue Tongue do, this allows the Centralian Blue Tongue to be a little more agile and able to catch faster food items.

During the hot summers these animals will often be found hunting at night, when the land cools a little. This is also a good time for catching sleeping grasshoppers.

Meet Boofhead!
These are pictures of Boofhead, one of our Centralian Blue Tongues. Click on the thumbnail to view a larger picture.