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Blue-tongued skinks live principally in open country with lots of ground cover such as tussocky grasses or leaf litter. The Northern Blue Tongue lives in tropical/savannah woodland in the northern part of West Australia.
They are omnivorous, eating a variety of insects, snails, carrion, flowers and fruits. They are not very agile and the animals they eat are mostly slow moving. Their teeth are large and they have strong jaw muscles so they can crush snails and beetles.
There are 1400 species of skinks. They can shed their tail to escape predators. Skinks have a moveable and transparent lower eyelid to protect it's eyes from dust and still be able to see. They ingest small stones to help digest it's food.
When threatened, this lizard may stand its ground: puff up, hiss, and stick out it's blue tongue (which contrasts sharply with its pink mouth) to startle a predator.
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It's blue tongue contrasts sharply with its otherwise pink mouth which can be used to frighten away predators.