BLUE TONGUE SKINKS

Hi all newbie to the site and to Blue Tongues but not to snakes and lizards. I just picked up this cutie yesterday from a breeder, but didn't realize there was more than one type of BT so I am hoping someone can help me out in identifying what subtype he/she is.
Anyway, a little about me, I am from Ohio, in my early 30's and have an 8 yr old daughter. We have 2 dogs, 3 cats, a red belly turtle, savannah monitor, a couple frogs, Macklot's python and 25 ball pythons in addition to our newest cutie. I look forward to learning more about these adorable critters.

Looks like you have an Irian Jaya. Does anyone else think so?

I reckon so! IJ!

Welcome to the site! If you ever have id probs - to the left of the main page you will see a list on the different types of Blueys, click onthem to see pics of them all.

Thanks that's what I was learning towards, but he has a tan belly, not red so that threw me off a bit. He was the brightest of the whole clutch, there were about 12 of them. A couple others had some light/faded reddish but most of the others were various shades of brown/tan/light orange. He stood out a mile away Now I just have to come up with a name that fits.

gratz on the new pet! great looking skink also!

Cute little fella! I say IJ as well

Looks easternish to me.

NomadOfTheHills wrote:Looks easternish to me.

It does have a lot of scincoides characteristics. Where are you from, and where exactly did you get this little guy?

Either way, he looks great! Welcome aboard!

Zach wrote:

NomadOfTheHills wrote:Looks easternish to me.

It does have a lot of scincoides characteristics. Where are you from, and where exactly did you get this little guy?

Either way, he looks great! Welcome aboard!

Zach, in the first message it states they're from Ohio.

Yeah, looks Eastern to me too. Faint eyebars, darkening stripes down the length of the body, and fairly clean forelegs. Easterns can sometimes naturally have some faint patterning on the forelegs - your little guy's forelegs look like my Eastern Tye's. (The photo isn't that great, but you get the idea.)




Your guy even has the "crucifix" marking on the back of its neck like Tye does! (Tye is on the left.)



Andrew should be able to tell us for sure if it's Eastern, shouldn't he? He's the one who's doing the big study right at the moment...

no way that's an eastern. - no portholes, No fading on the tail, and numerous species show a faint eye band in young age.

However - It could be a hybrid! GASP! VERY DOUBTFUL!

I'm not saying it's an Eastern, and "portholes" and fading don't necessarily tell you anything for sure. I've seen countless pictures of Easterns with crazy striping in AU, and I myself have an Eastern with absolutely zero fading. And tail fading in particular is scene in almost every species of BTS. Easterns are often colorful from head to midsection, then fade all the way to the tail. You are definitely right about the eye bands on babies.

Since she talks about breeders and knocks pet stores (in profile), my guess is the breeder cross-bred Northerns and IJ's throughout the years and now we have these....just a guess! It could be an IJ, but it would be one Easterny/Northerny looking IJ. I'm saying this because if this animal were from a pet store, it would likely be a wild caught which would mean 100% IJ. But it doesn't sound like she got it from a pet store. Perhaps their next post will reveal the secret!

And no knocks on your pet at all, catawhat! Just trying to figure it out.

I'm still going on IJ - Possible that it's a hybrid - northern x IJ - but even still - Markings suggest IJ all the way to me.

Easterns ALWAYS have Portholes, and the majorities tails (to use Andrew Seikes term) "Fade to black" (metallica Suck!). Even with "crazy striping" all easterns have these characteristics. And Northerns have the modified Eastern pattern - this is an IJ pattern.

In regards to the eyebands - if you look hard enough at blotchies you'll even see the remnants of eye bands. -- just confirming for others Zach.

Granted she is from the states, so the likliness of it being a hybrid is higher, I still sit with the IJ.

As you said though zach - good looking Bluey either way!

Blotch wrote:I'm still going on IJ - Possible that it's a hybrid - northern x IJ - but even still - Markings suggest IJ all the way to me.

Easterns ALWAYS have Portholes, and the majorities tails (to use Andrew Seikes term) "Fade to black" (metallica Suck!). Even with "crazy striping" all easterns have these characteristics. And Northerns have the modified Eastern pattern - this is an IJ pattern.

In regards to the eyebands - if you look hard enough at blotchies you'll even see the remnants of eye bands. -- just confirming for others Zach.

Granted she is from the states, so the likliness of it being a hybrid is higher, I still sit with the IJ.

As you said though zach - good looking Bluey either way!

No, they don't! There's never an ALWAYS with anything -- there are animals out there that have thinner portholes that just connect to the stripe making it look like a continuation and not a widening. As far as the fade to black...it's not on the tail, it's on the animal itself. On Easterns, often the entire latter half of the body is the fade to black. I'd say the majority of blueys have the fade on the tail, that is, a much less colorful tail compared to the bulk of its body.

I think it's one of LeaBilby's Easterns who has a brown, then almost an immediate change to black right on center of his back. Now, again, all animals aren't the same. Some Easterns will have fade to black more on the tail, some will start much, much higher -- but none are the same. Easterns are the most diverse looking of all in my opinion along with the IJ's, and I own both!

I've seen some IJ's that are wild caught that greatly resemble Easterns, so I'm not arguing that fact. -- it all goes back to the suggestion that IJ's are scincoides hybrids. Anything is possible! But I'm leaning the other way on this one.

ok - my bad - true the F2B thing does happen on the body.

The porthole thing though? Hmmm Doubtful - Show me an Aussie specimen without portholes that isn't an intergrade. I'd understand the american specimens cuz you have Very little Full blooded Eastern stock over there - majority of the US Easterns are from pairs that consist of intergrades, but Aussie stock? nope! I've never seen an aussie eastern without portholes other than a hypo or something to that effect - and even then with a hypo - you still see the portholes just differently.

Hrmmm Yup I will have to say with out a doubt that Skinker is most definatly 100% Pure










Blue Tongue Skink.


I know I'm soooooo helpful.

*slap* you are a Feminus dorkus majorus!

Blotch wrote:*slap* you are a Feminus dorkus majorus!

I feel the love here I really do.

Blotch wrote:ok - my bad - true the F2B thing does happen on the body.

The porthole thing though? Hmmm Doubtful - Show me an Aussie specimen without portholes that isn't an intergrade. I'd understand the american specimens cuz you have Very little Full blooded Eastern stock over there - majority of the US Easterns are from pairs that consist of intergrades, but Aussie stock? nope! I've never seen an aussie eastern without portholes other than a hypo or something to that effect - and even then with a hypo - you still see the portholes just differently.

It really depends on exactly what you consider "portholes". On the animal posted, some might consider those portholes -- just so thin and small that they connect to the stripe. THe picture below is a really poor example, but see how the stripes connect to the "portholes" and they are not wide at all (especially toward the back), but almost just part of the stripe. This animal is similar to the one posted, only the one posted has even thinner one's. Again, if it's a hybrid, that's exactly why they would be so thin, almost nonexistent.



Another baby with almost nonexistent portholes, and there are others out there that are more or less completely lacking. The animal posted by the member HAS them! They're just so small that they don't look like portholes, so essentially, these examples are irrelevant.


Here's an interesting example. Ignore the head and forelegs. You see this guys brown portholes? Imagine if the connecting stripes were the exact shade of brown. This guy would have NO portholes in your eyes! Exactly like the one posted by the new member. This guy's portholes do not widen at all and are even smaller than the stripes that run across its back.


Another example how portholes flow into stripes--just like the new user posted. Imagine if colors were identical, there would be no discernable porthole.


Here's Tiliquagirl's Chuckie....almost complete nonexistent portholes.


I hope you don't say you can see portholes! Again, it's an ambiguous term. Here, this could just be said that his stripe is starting at one side, and ending in the other. All the same size, and virtually no color change. No discernable portholes whatsoever. I have about a million more pictures.



Point is, some have wide, huge portholes. Others don't. Some have bright vibrant portholes that really stand out. Some don't. The possible combinations are endless. There's no "one way" or "absolute" or "always". There's just common trends and consistencies that make a species what it is.

Nice case and point there mate, I say IJ, from the pattern on its back,nearly every TRUE IJ or combo has a Y somewhere in the pattern. Prove me wrong if you like, or have the time.

I don't disagree! I just think there is likely scincoides in the animal if it isn't wild caught...