354: Shingleback Skink

This chunky lizard is living proof that two heads are better than one. We discuss BTS (disambiguation), secret signals encoded in lizard tongues, accidentally flirting with the wrong end of your true love, "roommates," and so much more.

Works Cited:

• “Why is the tongue of blue-tongued skinks blue? Reflectance of lingual surface and its consequences for visual perception by conspecifics and predators” - Andran Abramjan et al., The Science of Nature, August 2015
• “Following trails of partners in the monogamous lizard, Tiliqua rugosa” - C. Michael Bull, Christian Lindle, Acta Ethologica, September 2002
• “Mate Familiarity Affects Pairing Behaviour in a Long-Term Monogamous Lizard: Evidence from Detailed Bio-Logging and a 31-Year Field Study” - Stephan T. Leu et al., Ethology, April 2015
• “Lovestruck Lizards: The Monogamous Relationships of Shingleback Skinks” - Exotics Keeper blog, February 2024
• “Lizard suffers world's worst pregnancy” - Jennifer Viegas, Discovery News, February 2007
• “Scientists Confirm Shingleback Lizards Only Reptiles That Mate For Sake Of Aging Mothers” - The Onion
• “Strengthening protection of endemic wildlife threatened by the international pet trade: The case of the Australian shingleback lizard” - S. Heinrich et al., Animal Conservation, July 2021

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