Blue-Tongue Lizards in Your Backyard.
Introduction
Bluetongue Lizards are harmless to humans and pets. It is illegal to harm or kill them and the NSW Government may prosecute anyone found to harm native wildlife.
The Eastern Blue-tongue Skink (Tiliqua scincoides) is a common sight in urban areas, particularly in Australian suburbia. This guide provides an overview of their physical characteristics, dietary habits, and ecological significance, focusing on their adaptation to urban environments.
Physical Characteristics
The Eastern Blue-tongue Skink typically grows to around 60 cm in length. It has a silver-grey body adorned with broad, dark bands across its back and tail, and a distinctive black stripe running from the eye to the ear. Its most notable feature is its bright blue tongue, extending defensively when threatened to deter predators.
Adaptation to Urban Environments
This is the average size of a “Bluey” found in Sydney.
These skinks are frequently found in suburban gardens and parks, even in densely populated inner-city suburbs like Balmain. Despite their lack of speed and large size, they adapt well to altered landscapes. Their presence in urban areas underscores their resilience and ability to thrive in environments significantly different from their natural habitats.
Diet
Eastern Blue-tongue Skinks are omnivorous. Their diet includes slugs, snails, insects, grubs, as well as various plants and flowers. By feeding on these items, particularly garden pests, they play a beneficial role in maintaining the health of urban ecosystems.
Reproductive Behavior
These skinks are viviparous, giving birth to live young rather than laying eggs. Typically, they give birth to 10–20 young during the summer months of December or January, a reproductive strategy that is relatively uncommon among reptiles.
Ecological Role and Conservation
Despite their robust appearance, Eastern Blue-tongue Skinks face several threats in urban areas, including predation by domestic pets and risks from vehicles and garden equipment. They are often mistaken for snakes and killed due to this misidentification, despite being non-aggressive and posing no threat to humans. These skinks play an essential role in urban wildlife communities by controlling pest populations and demonstrating significant adaptability to living near humans.
Coexisting with Blue-Tongue Lizards in Your Backyard
Avoid Relocation
Blue-tongue lizards have established territories. Moving them can disorient them, making it challenging for them to find essential resources like food, shelter, and water. It's best to leave them where they are found.
Observing Their Behavior
Initially, blue-tongues may shy away from human presence. However, as they become accustomed to their surroundings and realize there's no threat, they may become more visible and relaxed.
Legal and Ethical Considerations
It's often illegal to capture blue-tongues for sale or as pets. If you wish to keep a lizard, seek legal avenues like purchasing from reputable pet shops.
Avoiding Snail Pellets
https://lizardremoval.com.au/
This baby Blue Tongue was found in a Granville while searching for a Red Bellied Black Snake.
Blue-tongue lizards enjoy snails, so avoid using snail pellets in your garden to prevent them from consuming poisoned snails.
Care with Lawn Equipment
Be cautious when using lawnmowers and whipper snippers, as these can accidentally harm lizards.
Creating a Lizard-Friendly Garden
This lizard in Balmain East shows how well they have done in an Urban Environment. Balmain East was first settled in the 1840’s and humans and these lizards have been coexisting there ever since!
Sunlit Resting Spots
As ectothermic animals, blue-tongues rely on external heat sources to regulate their body temperature. Creating sunny areas in your garden with flat rocks or stones allows them to bask and warm up.
Diverse Vegetation
Landscaping with a variety of plants, including ground cover, shrubs, and taller greenery, can attract insects and other prey, providing a steady food source for the lizards.
Mindful Pruning
Lizards use plants for shelter and foraging. Avoid excessive pruning, especially during their active seasons, to preserve natural hiding spots.
Natural Mulch
Use natural, organic mulch like leaves, straw, or wood chips. This helps conserve moisture and attracts insects, creating a suitable environment for lizards.
Here is the lizard on the cover of our latest book, Urban Reptiles!
Constructing Lizard Hideaways
Incorporate man-made materials like pipes and tin to create additional hiding spots. These can offer protection from predators and harsh weather.
Responsible Coexistence with Blue-Tongue Lizards
Respect Their Territory
Avoid disturbing blue-tongues in their natural territories. These reptiles have established homes, and relocating them can disrupt their access to essential resources.
Ethical Interaction
It's important to observe and respect blue-tongue lizards from a distance. If you encounter them, remain calm and allow them to move freely.
Blue-Tongue Lizards in Urban Landscapes
Challenges of Urbanization
As urbanization expands, blue-tongue lizards face habitat loss and new threats, including attacks from domestic pets and the dangers of snail baits. The reduction of green spaces due to development forces these reptiles to move to less dense areas.
Conservation Efforts
Efforts are being made to protect and preserve blue-tongue lizards in urban areas. Healthy populations can still be found in pockets of bushland and less densely populated suburbs.
Promoting Wildlife-Friendly Urban Spaces
To support wildlife, including blue-tongue lizards, urban gardeners are encouraged to maintain natural garden areas with features like logs, rocks, and shrubs. These provide essential cover and habitat for various small animals.
A Bluey showing off its distinctive blue tongue.
Appreciating Blue-Tongue Lizards
Blue-tongue lizards are a fascinating part of Australia's urban wildlife. Their presence in gardens signifies a healthy and balanced ecosystem. By creating lizard-friendly environments and respecting their natural behaviors, we contribute to the conservation of these remarkable reptiles.
In an era of increasing urbanization, it is crucial to appreciate and protect the wildlife that shares our urban spaces. Blue-tongue lizards, with their unique adaptations and beneficial ecological roles, deserve our respect and care.
A Bluey eating it's favourite meal, a snail.
About Chris Williams
Sydney’s Most Experienced Urban Reptile Specialist
Chris Williams has spent more than 35 years working with Australia’s most iconic and dangerous reptiles. As founder of Urban Snake & Reptile Removal, he provides fast, safe and highly professional snake removal across Sydney, backed by decades of field experience and scientific knowledge.
Chris is widely regarded as one of Sydney’s leading authorities on urban reptiles — the snakes, lizards, geckos and turtles that now live alongside us as the city expands. His work focuses on how development shapes wildlife populations and how people can safely coexist with the species that turn up in homes, schools, workplaces and construction sites.
A Career Built on Reptile Expertise
Chris began working with reptiles in 1990 as a WIRES reptile-handling instructor before joining Taronga Zoo’s reptile department, where he worked with cobras, rattlesnakes and Australian elapids, and contributed to conservation programs for threatened species.
He later worked at the Australian Reptile Park and Reptiles Alive!, delivering reptile-education programs across NSW. Since 2014 he has served as President of the Australian Herpetological Society, leading the state’s oldest reptile-focused organisation.
Chris is also the author or co-author of several major reptile books, including Urban Reptiles, Reptiles of the Red Centre and Reptiles of the Greater Sydney Region. These publications have helped cement his position as Sydney’s most knowledgeable urban reptile specialist.
Why Sydney Calls Chris
When people search for snake catcher near me, snake removal Sydney or licensed snake catcher, they want experience. Chris offers:
35+ years of hands-on reptile work
Full accreditation and insurance
Fast, 60-minute Sydney-wide response
Expert species identification
Practical advice on preventing snakes around homes and businesses
Education for schools, daycares, workplaces and community groups
Chris is also the author of:
Reptiles of the Greater Sydney Region,
Reptiles of the Red Centre,
and Urban Reptiles, among many other titles.
Widely regarded as an expert in reptile conservation and management, Chris has dedicated his career to bridging the gap between people and wildlife.
https://lizardremoval.com.au/
About Chris Williams
Sydney’s Most Experienced Urban Reptile Specialist
Chris Williams has spent more than 35 years working with Australia’s most iconic and dangerous reptiles. As founder of Urban Snake & Reptile Removal, he provides fast, safe and highly professional snake removal across Sydney, backed by decades of field experience and scientific knowledge.
Chris is widely regarded as one of Sydney’s leading authorities on urban reptiles — the snakes, lizards, geckos and turtles that now live alongside us as the city expands. His work focuses on how development shapes wildlife populations and how people can safely coexist with the species that turn up in homes, schools, workplaces and construction sites.
A Career Built on Reptile Expertise
Chris began working with reptiles in 1990 as a WIRES reptile-handling instructor before joining Taronga Zoo’s reptile department, where he worked with cobras, rattlesnakes and Australian elapids, and contributed to conservation programs for threatened species.
He later worked at the Australian Reptile Park and Reptiles Alive!, delivering reptile-education programs across NSW. Since 2014 he has served as President of the Australian Herpetological Society, leading the state’s oldest reptile-focused organisation.
Chris is also the author or co-author of several major reptile books, including:
Urban Reptiles,
Reptiles of the Red Centre and
Reptiles of the Greater Sydney Region, along with many others. These publications have helped cement his position as Sydney’s most knowledgeable urban reptile specialist.
Why Sydney Calls Chris
When people search for snake catcher near me, snake removal Sydney or licensed snake catcher, they want experience. Chris offers:
35+ years of hands-on reptile work
Full accreditation and insurance
Fast, 60-minute Sydney-wide response
Expert species identification
Practical advice on preventing snakes around homes and businesses
Education for schools, daycares, workplaces and community groups
https://lizardremoval.com.au/
