Scientists have discovered that the humble blue-tongue lizard is largely resistant to the venom of the deadly red-bellied black snake, while giant carnivorous monitor lizards which feed on Australia’s most venomous snakes are not.

Blue-tongues are not venomous but they try to look intimidating by opening their mouth and acting aggressively. They can bite but their teeth are used more for crushing than tearing, so they might bruise you but will rarely break the skin. It’s illegal to catch blue-tongues and sell them or keep them as pets.

Tiliqua gigas
Tiliqua scincoidesTiliqua rugosaBlotched blue-tongued lizardIrian Jaya blue tongue skink
Blue-tongued lizards/Lower classifications

As cold-blooded animals, reptiles like to bask in the sun, but they are shy and will hide under logs and rocks so you might not always see them. All native reptiles are protected in New South Wales under the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016. It’s illegal to kill any native reptile, including snakes.

Blue-tongued skinks comprise the Australasian genus Tiliqua, which contains some of the largest members of the skink family (Scincidae). They are commonly called blue-tongued lizards or simply blue-tongues or blueys in Australia. The tongue also can also deform itself and produce a thick mucus in order to catch prey.

Pygmy blue-tongued skinks
Pygmy blue-tongued skinks are the smallest and rarest of the skink species, measuring a mere 4 inches (10 cm) in length at the max. Blotched blue-tongued skinks can grow to a length of 23.5 inches (60 cm). Tanimbar Island skinks are smaller, ranging in size from 15 to 17 inches (38 to 43 cm) in length.

Despite their generally docile nature, blue-tongued skinks will bite if they feel threatened, or hiss and expose their blue tongues (which is where they get their name). Be advised that although skinks are not aggressive, they have strong jaws and teeth, and a bite from a skink can be quite painful.

Is this illegal? A: Private individuals can keep blue-tongue lizards, but most species require a permit to keep and sell them. These animals have been bred in captivity, meaning they have not been sourced from wild populations.

“If you have bobtails in your garden, always leave out a flat tray of water because in summer they do drink a little bit of water,” Ms Hahn said. Instead, avoid pesticides and let them feast on the cockroaches, beetles and snails in your garden.

Bobtails (also known as Shinglebacks, Sleepy lizards and Pine Cone lizards) and bluetongues are beautiful lizards that can make fantastic pets. They generally grow to a length of around 35- 50cm depending on which species you choose to keep. Depending on where you live these species can be kept indoors or outdoors.

Blue-tongue lizards are not poisonous and do not pose any threat to people or their pets. In fact, they can be a very helpful friend to have around the garden as they eat snails and caterpillars and other insects and can help keep the population of these invertebrate garden pests down.

If you have ever seen a skink, you may have wondered if they are poisonous. Or maybe saw the blue tongue on one of their popular species, and thought they must be dangerous. I had similar thoughts, but I will now clear up some of the myths. Are Skinks poisonous? No, they are not poisonous. Neither are they venomous.

But they are not very fast, so they usually eat slower critters. They are very partial to slugs and snails. Oh, and they steal dog food… Blue-tongue lizards have strong jaw muscles to crush big beetles and snail shells. They may also bite in defence when they feel threatened. It faces the threat and opens its mouth.

Male lizards have a proportionally larger head than females, but the females are bigger overall. The most noticeable feature of these lizards is the blue tongue inside the bright pink mouth. Like all reptiles they do not produce any body heat.