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Tanimbar Blue-Tongued Skink
Tiliqua scincoides chimaerea
Tanimbar blue-tongued skink. Indonesian subspecies with thicker, keeled, and rougher scales. Features silver or mustard-yellow coloration and a more defensive temperament than Australian variants.
Class:Squamata
Order:Squamata
Family:Scincidae
Subfamily:Lygosominae
Genus:Tiliqua
Species:Tiliqua scincoides chimaerea
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Environment
Terrestrial
Humidity
40 - 60 %
Day temperature
35 - 38 °C
Ambient temperature
26 °C
Night temperature
18 - 22 °C
Basking spot
35 - 38 °C
Adult size
38 cm
Minimum enclosure
>= 250 L
UVB
Medium - High
Species description
Geographical Origin and Habitat: Native to the Tanimbar Islands and surrounding regions of Indonesia. Unlike standard Australian blue-tongued skinks, this subspecies is adapted to a more humid environment, inhabiting tropical dry forests, scrublands, and coastal areas.
Taxonomy and Genetics: Family Scincidae. *Tiliqua scincoides chimaerea* is the Tanimbar blue-tongued skink, an Indonesian subspecies. It is genetically distinct from Australian blue-tongued skinks and adapted to more humid climates.
Behavior and Habits: Primarily terrestrial and slow-moving. Unlike standard Australian subspecies, Tanimbar skinks are known for a more nervous, defensive temperament, often hissing or huffing when approached, though they can become docile with patient handling.
Morphology: Known for its thick, heavily keeled, and rough scales. It reaches 50–60 cm in length and has a heavy, stocky body with short limbs. Coloration varies from silver-gray to mustard yellow. Males generally have slightly broader heads.
Care, breeding and tankmates
Terrarium Setup: Requires a spacious horizontal enclosure (minimum 120x60x60 cm). Provide a loose, burrowing substrate such as cypress mulch or coconut husk. Avoid tall climbing structures, as their heavy bodies are prone to injury from falls. Provide several ground-level hides.
Lighting and Heating: Provide a basking temperature of 35–38°C with a cool side of 24–26°C. High-quality UVB lighting (6% or 12% T5) is essential for vitamin D3 synthesis. Since they are from Indonesia, they require moderate humidity (60–70%), unlike Australian species.
Humidity and Hydration: Maintain humidity levels around 60–70% through regular misting, ensuring the substrate remains damp but not wet. Provide a shallow, heavy water bowl for drinking and soaking.
Feeding and Supplementation: Opportunistic omnivores. The diet should consist of 50% protein (snails, high-quality grain-free wet dog food, roaches, worms), 40% leafy greens, and 10% fruit. Dust food with calcium and vitamins regularly.
Compatibility: Solitary. They are highly territorial and will fight aggressively, leading to severe wounds or limb loss. Keep them individually in separate enclosures.
Health and Common Diseases: Prone to respiratory infections if humidity is too low or substrate is dusty. Retained shed on the toes and tail tip is common and can lead to necrosis if not carefully removed. Ensure adequate calcium to prevent metabolic bone disease.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Native to the Tanimbar Islands and surrounding regions of Indonesia. Unlike standard Australian blue-tongued skinks, this subspecies is adapted to a more humid environment, inhabiting tropical dry forests, scrublands, and coastal areas.
Origin
South and Southeast AsiaAustralia, New Guinea, and Oceania
Reptile profile
- Diet
- No verified data available
- Life expectancy
- No verified data available
- Adult size
- 38 cm
- Lifestyle/Microhabitat
- No verified data available
- Activity cycle
- No verified data available
- Sociality
- No verified data available
- Reproduction
- No verified data available
- Handling tolerance
- No verified data available
- Brumation
- No verified data available
- Molting
- No verified data available
The catalog's scalar value is 38 cm. The ReptTraits v1.2 source reports a maximum adult measurement of 38 cm for this species, recorded as snout–vent length (SVL). These figures are not interchangeable: the first is the profile's editorial reference, whereas the second is a published maximum under a specific measurement convention; differences among sources can reflect sex, population, life stage and measuring method.
Image gallery
Licensed images linked to the species or, when marked, to the closest representative taxon.
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