Pink-tongues grow to about 30 cm. Juveniles are very conspicuously coloured with striking black and cream bands. The colour pattern of the adults varies. The body is usually grey to fawn or brown with a series of dark brown or black bands. In some individuals these are absent or may be reduced to bands of spots. Pink-tongues bear live young, producing litters of between 20 and 25 young. Their main diet is snails, but they also eat insects and small arthropods. Captive animals will take fruit. Pink-tongues often occur in the same areas as blue-tongues, but as a rule they prefer moister habitats. They live in rainforests, wet sclerophyll forests, monsoon forests and open forests of coastal Queensland and northern New South Wales. Pink-tongued Skinks are mainly active during twilight and after dark. They are quite common in suburbia, but are encountered less frequently than blue-tongues. Source: Jeanette Covacevich, Queensland Museum
Photo: Derek Boddington
