Blue-tongued skinks are one of the more popular lizards for intermediate to advanced reptile keepers.
In 2019, someone brought a two-headed blue-tongued skink (Tiliqua sp.) to the Australian Reptile Park in Somersby, Australia. The head of the Central Coast, New South Wales-based park, Daniel Rumsey, said in an interview that they would take good care of the unique, two-headed lizard. Two-headed reptiles occur more often than you’d think, and are still somewhat rare, but not uncommon. Their survival rates in the wild are diminished due to the presence of two heads, their struggles to eat as well as defend themselves.
Fast forward to 2021 and Jay Brewer of Prehistoric Pets in Fountain Valley, a self-professed two-headed reptile aficionado shared a video of the little lizard to his 5.7 million followers on Instagram.
“A one in a million blue-tongued skink. I think this skink is going to be perfectly fine and live. Is this incredible or what?” Brewer said in a video describing the reptile.
Is The Blue-Tongue Skink An Ideal Lizard For Those New To Reptile Keeping?
Brewer had a two-headed rat snake named Thelma and Louise at his Reptile Zoo in Fountain Valley, CA for more than 12 years, a two-headed California kingsnake named Zany and Brainy, and acquired another two-headed Texas rat snake in September.
Blue-tongued skinks are one of the more popular lizards for intermediate to advanced reptile keepers. For the most part, they are easy to handle and have great personalities.
While they are called blue tongue lizards in Australia, in the United States we call them blue-tongued skinks. Their tongue is blue to ward off predators, according to a 2018 study from Macquarie University in Australia. The blue tongue is the last form of defense when it is attacked.
