The Pink Tongued Skink is a species of lizard endemic to Australia. The Pink Tongue Skink gets its name from its characteristic pink tongue.
This is a relatively large species of lizard that can reach a total length of around 45cm including the tail, which makes up around half of the lizard’s size.
Pink Tongued Skink Taxonomy
In the Animal Kingdom, Taxonomy is used as the science and practice of classifying different species and sub-species based on their biological and genetic makeup.
Family
The Pink Tongue Skink belongs to the Scincidae family of lizards. This is simply the scientific name for the Skink family.
This is a massive family of lizards with over 100 different genera and over 1500 species currently recognised.
These lizards can be found throughout most of the globe, except for the artic and sub-artic regions as it is too cold for them there.
The most common characteristic of skinks is their proportionally small legs in comparison to their body.
With such a large number of species, it is inevitable that the appearance and behaviour of skinks is so diverse. They can be terrestrial, arboreal or a burrowing species. Some desert species are even ‘sand swimmers.
Genus
The genus that the Pink Tongued Skink belongs to is called Cyclodomorphus. This is a genus of small to medium sized skinks.
There are currently 9 recognised species in this genus. Many of these species are commonly referred to as Slender Skinks.
Some of the other species in this genus include the Common Slender Blue-tongue Skink and the Western Slender Blue-tongue Skink.
Species
The scientific name for the Pink Tongued Skink is Cyclodomorphus gerrardii and there are currently no recognised sub-species.
The species was first described in 1845 by a British Zoologist named John Edward Gray.
Pink Tongued Skink Description
The Pink Tongued Skink is a relatively large species of Skink that can grow to around 45cm in length including the tail.
However, the tail of the lizard makes up around half of its length and it is semi-prehensile which helps the Skink while climbing.
Like the other species in its genus, the Pink Tongue Skink has a slender body and tail although it typically isn’t called a slender Skink like the other species in its genus.
The head of the lizard is slightly more pronounced than other species of skink but they have many common ‘skink-like’ features.
Their triangular shaped head, long slender body, long tail and small stubby legs have all the typical characteristics you would expect in a skink.
They typically have a light grey background color that can sometimes appear more light brown or tan in color.
This is overlaid with a series of crossbands that run the length of the lizard’s body. These crossbands can be dark grey, brown or black in color.
In some specimens, the patterning can appear as small blotches as opposed to crossbands. These skinks have somewhat of a speckled appearance.
Natural Habitat and Distribution
The Pink Tongued Skink has a large geographical distribution that stretches across most of the Eastern Coast of Australia.
This lizard can only be found in Australia and their range doesn’t extend very far inland as the conditions become too arid for this species.
They can be found as far North as the Cairns region of Queensland but their range doesn’t seem to extend as far North as the Cape York Peninsula.
However, this Peninsula is regarded as the largest unspoiled wilderness in Northern Australia so it is hard to conclusively rule out their presence there.
Their range extends Southwards along the Eastern Coast of Queensland towards Brisbane where there is a large population of these lizards.
The Blue Tongued Skink can also be found along the Eastern Coast of New South Wales where they can be found as far South as Sydney.
Their natural range does not extend as far South as places such as Canberra and Melbourne.
They like to live in moist forests, rainforest and woodland areas with plenty of leaf litter and other areas to retreat to such as hollow logs or under fallen branches.
They can sometimes be found in rocky areas where they will use the crevices in the rocks to hide from predators and to cool off from the heat of the day.
Pink Tongued Skink Behaviour
The Pink Tongued Skink is considered to be a semi-arboreal or partially arboreal species of lizard, meaning that they will sometimes climb up trees and branches.
Juveniles tend to be much more arboreal than adults and will often be found climbing on dense vegetation where they are less exposed to predators than they would be on the floor.
The tail of the Pink Tongued Skink is semi-prehensile and they use this as an ‘extra limb’ when climbing.
They are usually most active around the hours of dusk and dawn when the temperatures aren’t too high.
However, during the cooler months of the year, the Pink Tongue Skink will often become active at any time during the day.
This species of skink has a diet that primarily consists of slugs and snails.