I am pretty sure that that skink is or was owned by John Weigle of the Australia Reptile Park.
While there are some Tiliqua species such as the Common (Tiliqua scincoides), and the Indonesian Blue-tongued Skinks (Tiliqua gigas) that display great variability in their color and pattern, there are still those morphs that cause even the most jaded hobbyists to stand back in awe. Most of these morphs are rarely if ever seen in U.S. collections, and command extremely high prices when they are made available. When in the market for these high-end Blue-tongued Skink morphs, it is a good idea to buy only from reputable dealers or breeders, and always ask for photos (you would be surprised at what some people consider to be a morph). It would also be smart to avoid hets, as there is really not any regular breeding of any of the proven recessive genetic mutations here in the U.S. at this time.
Albinism vs. Amelanism
True albinism is a recessive genetic mutation in which the affected animal has a total lack of all pigmentation on its entire body, including the eyes, causing the irises to be red or pink. Many people confuse albinism with amelanism, which is where the affected animal has a total lack of all melanin (dark pigment) and red or pink eyes. Most mammals, including humans, have only one pigment (melanin) present, and for them, there is no different between albinism and amelanism. However, most reptiles possess other pigments such as xanthin (yellow) and etherin (red) which still play a major role in the reptile's coloration, even when there is no melanin present, as is the case with amelanism. While turning up occasionally in Australia, I do not currently know of any albino Blue-tongued Skinks here in the U.S. However, I do know of a group of amelanistic Indonesian Blue-tongued Skinks (Tiliqua gigas) that were sold by an east coast reptile dealer, to a reclusive breeder in the San Francisco area, as recent as 3 years ago. He contacted me once, and I have not heard from him since. I suspect that the group was sold out of the country as I have not seen or heard of them either. There are two photos of blue-tongues, with interesting color mutations, that are published in some of the popular herpetological magazines and books in this country. Only one of them is a true albino. It is an Eastern Blue-tongue (Tiliqua scincoides scincoides), and it was taken by Karl Switack at the Australian Reptile Park in (you guessed it) Australia. The other photo is of a young Irian Jaya Blue-tongued Skink (Tiliqua ssp.) that was taken by Dick Bartlett. This skink is actually not albino. However, it is most probably amelanistic, but there are potential questions that could be raised in reference to its normal appearing eyes. Unfortunately this specimen died not long after it was photographed.
Melanism and Hypermelanism
Melanism refers to animals that are completely black or dark brown that would not display such coloration under normal circumstances. The term is often misused to describe animals that are merely darker than normal, but by no means solid black or dark brown. These darker animals are more correctly referred to as hypermelanistic. Melanistic Blue-tongued Skinks are non-existent in U.S. collections, and very rare in Australia, with only two reports of total melanism occurring in blue-tongues. The first was a newborn Eastern Blue-tongue (Tiliqua scincoides scincoides) from Sydney. The second is a Blotched Blue-tongue (Tiliqua nigrolutea) from Tasmania. While being extremely rare, it is no surprise that these two examples are both members of the two most southernly ranging Tiliqua species, whose range includes many highland regions and are therefore subjected to colder temperatures than the other members in their genus. There are populations of the Shingle-back Skink (Trachydosaurus rugosus), in the same area in New South Wales, that are almost entirely melanistic. Being melanistic, these skinks are able to absorb heat more efficiently when basking in a range where heat is hard to come by. It is possible that these two Melanistic blue-tongues could be a glimpse into the evolutionary future of the Tiliqua that inhabit these colder ranges.
Hypomelanism
This term refers to an animal that displays reduced amounts of melanin, possessing smaller amounts than would the norm for its particular species. It is a very broad term covering everything from animals with recessive genetic mutations such as leucism, albinism, and amelanism, to animals that are a little lighter than usual with no apparent genetics responsible. There are some Blue-tongued Skink specimens that fall somewhere in between, showing a definite reduction in melanin, and appearing to display some sort of genetic abnormality. These are the blue-tongues that come to mind when we hear the term "Hypo." Weather this is a co-dominant or recessive trait remains a mystery at this time. These Skinks are quite rare and very expensive. They are the only "morph" that is available here in the U.S. today (with the possible exception of albinos). Some of these Hypos are more than you would expect them to be, while others are sadly disappointing. Because of the broadness of this term, it is advised to always get a photo of the specimen before you send off your life savings.
Leucism
This trait is displayed in animals that have no pigmentation, appearing milky white with bluish black eyes. I have heard more than one report from people claiming to have Leucistic Blue-tongued Skinks, and to date, none have even come close to being an actual leucistic Blue-tongue. As far as I know, Leucism has not yet been witnessed in Blue-tongued Skinks.
Striped Blue-tongues
Could it actually be true? Apparently the answer is yes. There is a breeder in Ohio who had a striped Irian Jaya Blue-tongued Skink (Tiliqua ssp.) in his collection. It was a very light tan color with two thin brown stripes that run from the neck to the tip of the tail. As far as I know, it was the only one of its kind. It is also not known if it was a recessive or co-dominant trait, or if it was even genetically reproducible at all. I happen to think that it was genetically reproducible and most likely co-dominant, but that is purely speculation on my part. Unfortunately, it will remain a mystery, as the owner recently informed me that this animal died before its second year from unknown causes.
Fancy Names and Marketing Games
Some people like to classify every slightly different colored specimen into a "phase" or "race". This is okay if it is just left at that, but it always seems to snowball into some kind of insane game of marketing name one-up-man-ship. This has been going on for years now with the Bearded Dragon and now it has unfortunately reached the Blue-tongued Skink market. In the last few years I have seen Blue-tongued Skinks marketed as silver, yellow, cream, and multi-colored phases. Some of these descriptions have at least some basis, while others are simply obvious marketing ploys with no precedence. Now there are more recent terms such as pastel, citrus-hypo, and patternless-anerytheristic being coined by "breeders" who don't even seem to know the definitions of the terms they are using. These terms often contradict themselves, and are more often than not totally inaccurate. However, there are occasionally skinks from certain geographic locals that display a slight variation in color from the norm for that species, and will often breed true when bred with another specimen from the same local. With many of these skinks being from Australia, there is a problem with actually finding pure specimens that originate from any certain local as there has not really been any local specific breeding of the Australian blue-tongues in this country. There are currently efforts by breeders to gather some of these local-specific forms for breeding purposes. We have gathered over 100 Blue-tongued Skinks and have meticulously grouped them first according to species or subspecies, and second, according to color and form. There will not be any names given to any of these color forms, morphs, or phases until they are reproduced successfully. As with any other reptile purchase, I recommend viewing the actual skink, or at least a photo of the skink, so as to verify weather or not it lives up to its name or any other claims.
