ABOUT THE SPECIES
Pygmy Bluetongues are a small skink that only grow up to 18-20cm in length. Despite their name, they have a pink tongue! The Pygmy Bluetongue is quite unique, spending most of its time in the safety of disused spider burrows created by either Trapdoor or Wolf Spiders, emerging to feed and bask in the sun. They were thought to be extinct for over 30 years until in 1992 one was discovered in the stomach contents of a roadkill Eastern Brown Snake. They are only found in temperate grasslands in South Australia, where most of their habitat has been cleared and ploughed for agriculture, directly killing many lizards, destroying spider burrows and permanently changing the vegetation.
ABOUT THE ORGANISATION
Zoos SA has been involved in the recovery of this species since its rediscovery in 1992. We have been involved in field surveys and searches trying to locate this little lizard. Our focus has been on the establishment of a captive insurance population and breeding program. Pygmy Bluetongues are housed at both Adelaide Zoo and Monarto Safari Park, and in summer 2016, we successfully bred the Pygmy Bluetongue for the first time in captivity. We are working with our partners and the Pygmy Bluetongue Recovery team to help build our understanding and knowledge of this truly amazing reptile.
You can vote for Zoos SA’s nomination, the Pygmy bluetongue, right here at The ANiMOZ Aussie Wildlife Vote 2020!