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blue tongue within the next 2 weeks.I wanted to know if irian jaya and indonesian were the same thing.Why is the indonesian also named the giant blue tongue skink when the northern gets 24-28?

Tiliqua gigas = Indonesian BTS
T. sp. = Irian Jaya -- this is an undescribed species technically but may be a subspecies of either the T. gigas or T. scincoides, probably T. gigas in my opinion.
So, no, Indonesian and Irian Jaya are not the same thing but IJ may be a subspecies of the Indonesian.

As for size, some Indonesians (not Irian Jayas) do get to be an inch or two longer than Northerns.
BTW, "giant blue tongue skink" just sounds like a fancy make-up name from the ever so charming importers. (Yes, that's right, I don't like them too much.)
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Edward
Carpe diem

Actually I got giant blue tongue skink from a animal encylopedia I have.I never saw anywhere else call it a giant blue tongue.

I think the reason it is called the 'Giant BTS' is due to the fact that it's Tail accounts for 75 - 95% of its SVL.

They are not the sane thing, but you are not the only one to be confused about their taxonomy. In Europe and some older literature, gigas is occasionally referred to as the Giant Blue-tongued Skink. I think this is due to its scientific name "gigas," which, if my Latin is correct, means giant. This is ironic in that the nominant form (Tiliqua gigas gigas) is one of the smaller sized Blue-tongues. Its overall length is about average due to its very long tail, but in actuality it is not so big. However, The Merauke Faded Blue-tongued Skink, aka Merauke Gigas (Tiliqua gigas evanescens) gets quite large. Even this can be a deceiving thing in that the biggest Merauke I have ever encountered was 27 inches in total length, and still was a couple inches shy (in SVL) of my largest Northern (Tiliqua scincoides intermedia) that had a total length of 23 inches. Here is a bit more on the Two from my book: A Comprehensive Guide to the Natural History and Captive Husbandry of Blue-tongued Skinks in the Genus Tiliqua, By James Wilson

Indonesian Blue-tongued Skink Tiliqua gigas (Schneider, 1801)
For years, the Indonesian blue-tongued skink was thought to be the only blue-tongued skink that was not found in Australia. Being of Indonesian origin, it was fair game for the import/export market, making it an affordable import option to the more expensive Australian blue-tongues. In-spite of its frequent bad disposition, and high mortality rate, the Indonesian blue-tongue maintained a relatively solid place in the hobby, due mainly to the fact that it was quite inexpensive. This all changed in the early 90's with the discovery of another blue-tongue from Irian Jaya, which was soon, named the Irian Jaya blue-tongued skink. It proved to be a much better captive, and it was not long before this new competition caused the Indonesian blue-tongue to become almost obsolete. The Indonesian blue-tongued skink is still imported into this country in small numbers, with captive-bred specimens being available on rare occasions. This has caused the once common Indonesian blue-tongue to be sought after by many serious blue-tongued skink collectors, and breeders, and it is starting to get the credit that it deserves. Unfortunately, the Indonesian, and Irian Jaya blue-tongue, are often confused for each other, because of the close proximity of their ranges, and the misuse of their common names in current literature (Both species are often referred to as the New Guinea blue-tongue). Indonesian blue-tongued skinks have a very extensive range that includes many islands, which creates a great deal of variation in color and form. Many of these color variations are thought to be local specific. There are currently three recognized subspecies: The Common Indonesian blue-tongued skink Tiliqua gigas gigas, the Merauke Faded blue-tongued skink Tiliqua gigas evanescens, and the Kei Island blue-tongued skink Tiliqua gigas keyensis. Because it has been divided into subspecies, I will also cover this species on the subspecific level.

The Common Indonesian Blue-tongued Skink Tiliqua gigas gigas
Discription: Their coloration varies from light grey to silver with other specimens ranging from gold to brown. Some brown specimens from Ambon and Ceram Island are almost solid black with very little brown showing. The specimens from these two island locals frequently make poor captives, coming in with high parasite loads, and bad dispositions. They are apt to squirm, bite, and defecate whenever they are handled, and they have high mortality rates. On the other hand there are other brown specimens of very similar coloration and pattern, from the Sarong region of Irian Jaya, that make much better pets. The Sarong specimens are docile, quite hardy, and they get a lot bigger. Indonesian blue-tongues are usually banded with thin black bands that may or may not have peppering of the background color in them. One of their distinguishing traits is the coloration of their limbs. Their fore and hind limbs are always black, and may or may not possess a certain amount of white spotting on them. Most specimens also have a large black rectangular blotch on the side of their neck that starts just behind the ear, and extends back just past the front legs. Indonesian blue-tongues usually have a single black stripe on the top of the neck. The ventral surface may be orange or cream in coloration, sometimes with varying amounts of black, forming a reticulated or almost checkerboard pattern. The tail is the longest of all the blue-tongue species, accounting for 85-95% of the snout-vent length. Of course, this is taking into consideration that the animal must have its original full tail. The tail's banding is usually obscured or totally absent and it is often black with some white, gold, or brown flecking on it creating a granite-like pattern. A broken thin black temporal streak may or may not be present. The anterior temporal scales on the Indonesian blue-tongue are elongated and much longer than the other temporal scales. It is also very common for them to have a black outlining on the edges of the large scales on their heads. Many Indonesian blue-tongues are a bit smaller than the typical blue-tongue, with adult sizes ranging from 17-19 inches (Keep in mind that a 19-inch Indonesian blue-tongue is usually considerably smaller in snout to vent length than a 19-inch Common blue-tongue). Still, there are some forms that can grow considerably large. I have a Brown specimen from the Sarong region that is 24 inches. Females can produce up to 15 live young.

Distribution and habitat: The Indonesian blue-tongued skink's range includes the sub-humid tropical forests to the arid scrub and grasslands of Northern Irian Jaya, New Guinea, and its many surrounding Indonesian islands, including the Moluccas island chain. There is literature that inaccurately states that their range extends farther west to the lesser Sundas, and on through the Greater Sundas (Java, Borneo, and Sumatra). In actuality, according to current locality data this is highly unlikely, as there have never been any specimens documented in those localities.

Merauke Faded Blue-tongued Skink Tiliqua gigas evanescens (Shea, 2000)
Recently Dr. Glen Shea described this new subspecies of the Indonesian Blue-tongued Skink as (Tiliqua gigas evanescens). It is also commonly referred to as the Merauke Gigas. The sub-specific name evanescens, means to fade or lighten, and makes reference to the faded appearance that adult specimens are said to display. Dr. Shea chose to refer to this new subspecies as the Southern New Guinea Blue-tongued Skink. Since the undescribed Irian Jaya Blue-tongue also inhabits southern New Guinea, and is still occasionally referred to under this same name. I have chosen to call it the Merauke Faded Blue-tongued Skink. I feel that it was a logical compromise to use the old common name, with a tie in to the scientific name. While common names are not set in stone, I do feel that they play an important role in species identification in the pet industry and the reptile hobby, and that there should some consideration taken to avoid any potential confusion that could be caused when giving new common names. The Merauke Gigas has been exported out of Merauke in southern Irian Jaya, since the mid 90's, and is starting to be seen more often, in some of the larger pet store chains here in this country. There has been a great deal of speculation with regard to the actual origin of this blue-tongue, with many people suggesting that it may be the result of hybridization between the Common Indonesian Blue-tongue (Tiliqua gigas gigas), and the Irian Jaya Blue-tongue (Tiliqua ssp.) To date there is no evidence to support this theory.

Description: As a baby, the Merauke Faded Blue-tongued Skink is nearly identical in appearance to the Common Indonesian Blue-tongue. However, as it grows into adulthood, its color and pattern will often fade and become much less obvious than in Tiliqua gigas gigas. Adult specimens are usually a slate grey color with thin grey or tan bands. Like the Common Indonesian, the Merauke's ventral surface may or may not be striped or reticulated with black and orange. It has the typical gigas black limbs and single black nape stripe. However, its head is usually much paler and usually unmarked. The Merauke Gigas has a tail that accounts for 80-90% of the snout-vent length, with more defined banding on it than Tiliqua gigas gigas. The anterior temporal scales of the Merauke Blue-tongue are elongated and much longer then the other temporal scales. It is a large skink (especially for a gigas), with adults ranging between 20 and 26 inches. Unlike many of the island forms of Tiliqua gigas, the Merauke Gigas often has a good disposition.

Distribution: The Merauke Faded blue-tongued skink can be found through out southern New Guinea covering the majority of Papua and a small portion of south-eastern Irian Jaya. It is has been reported to inhabit the transitional zones between the coastal plains (frequented by the Irian Jaya blue-tongue Tiliqua scincoides ssp.) and the Tropical forests (frequented by Tiliqua gigas gigas).

Kei Blue-tongued Skink Tiliqua gigas keyensis (Shea, 2000)
Dr. Shea has also described this island form as a distinct subspecies. The name is apparently an old name that he has resurrected. Specimens from Aru are reported to possess three black nape stripes similar to those seen on Tiliqua scincoides.

Description: This skink is usually more colourful than the other gigas subspecies often displaying orange-brown coloration, occasionally with shades of green or yellow laced into its often modelled patern. Its range is limited to the Kei and Aru Islands. In the past, the Kei blue-tongue was rarely (if ever) seen in the U.S. pet trade, and very little is known about it. It is just now starting to make its way into U.S. collections, and there currently concentrated efforts to breed and reproduce this interesting skink in captivity. Its Personality is reported to be less than friendly, being quite similar to that of the wild collected T. s. chimaerea or the T. g. gigas forms from Ambon or Ceram.

Distribution: As its name implies, The Kei Island Blue-tongued Skink is found on the Kei Islands in the Molucca Island Chain. It is also thought to inhabit the Aru Islands located about 100 miles southeast of the Kei islands.

Irian Jaya Blue-tongued Skink Tiliqua ssp.
(Currently undescribed)

The Irian Jaya blue-tongued skink was recently discovered in the early 1990s, and currently remains undescribed and unnamed. Many hobbyists believe it to be a 4th scincoides subspecies. For the first few years after the Irian Jaya blue-tongue's discovery, it was considered quite rare, and it carried a very expensive price tag. Because of its hardiness and its similar appearance and disposition, to the Common Australian Blue-tongue, it became very popular in the pet trade. In time it became fairly inexpensive, and for a time, replaced the Indonesian blue-tongued skink (Tiliqua gigas) as this country's new and improved blue-tongue import staple.

There is a lot of confusion in regard to the origin and identification of the Irian Jaya blue-tongue, causing it to be frequently misidentified. The Irian Jaya blue-tongued skink has become common in U.S. collections due to the large numbers of them that have been imported in recent years. In spite of this, there is still very little information published about them in current literature. What has been published has usually proven to be misleading, causing even more confusion.

Once the Irian Jaya blue-tongue secured a place in the reptile hobby, importers started calling it the New Guinea blue-tongue. This new name seemed appropriate since this skink is from all of New Guinea, including Papua and Irian Jaya. Unfortunately, this name is also another misused common name for the Indonesian blue-tongued skink (Tiliqua gigas), which also shares New Guinea as a portion of its range. Now, there is at least one book available that pictures both species under this same common name. For obvious reasons I avoid using the term "New Guinea Blue-tongue" so as not to create or perpetuate any more misinformation.

There are many people who find it suspicious that such a large skink could go undiscovered for so long, and once again, there are those who embrace the conspiracy theories. Some literature claims that the Irian Jaya blue-tongue is a man-made mutt, possibly created by intergrading the two Australian scincoides subspecies, smuggeling them out of Australia, and then exporting them out of Irian Jaya with false locality data in order to mask their true origin and to create a more marketable blue-tongued skink for importation. It has been further suggested that other Australian skinks may have been smuggled by unscrupulous individuals into Irian Jaya, and then hybridized on large scale breeding farms, with some animals either escaping or being released into the wild so as to populate the area for future harvesting. There is obviously a great deal of speculation in regards to this "new" blue-tongue, and I feel that it is necessary to set the record straight.

When all of the speculation started, the Irian Jaya blue-tongue was still quite rare and very expensive. At that time this would have provided the motive for the greedy smugglers and exporters, creating at least some basis for the conspiracy theory supporters. However, Irian Jaya blue-tongues were soon imported in large numbers, and have become one of the most affordable of all of the blue-tongues on the market, laying the motive of greed to rest, and making this crime basically impossible to accomplish, due to shear numbers alone. There is simply no way that a smuggling operation of such a large scale could go on without detection for over ten years. The fact that the Irian Jaya blue-tongue does bear some resemblance to the Australian scincoides does not mean that it is actually a scincoides subspecies. It does, however, raise some interesting questions. The Irian Jaya blue-tongue also shares many physical similarities with the Indonesian blue-tongued skink Tiliqua gigas, while inhabiting a geographic range that falls directly between these two different species. I have also found the Irian Jaya blue-tongue to be totally inconsistent in its color, pattern, and overall morphology, often making identification quite difficult. It is only by using the process of elimination that I am able to identify a given specimen as the Irian Jaya blue-tongued skink. Basically, if it does not fit the bill for any of the other currently described and accepted Tiliqua species or subspecies, then it is an Irian Jaya blue-tongued skink. This skink does not follow any of the rules. In the past, I have been able to take one T. scincoides and one T. gigas and place them on opposite ends of a table with 8 Irian Jaya blue-tongues in between, creating a line of natural progression that flows so smoothly from one end to the other that there is no place to draw a line between the two species. Also of interest is the fact that when the Irian Jaya blue-tongue is cross bred with any other Tiliqua species or subspecies, the offspring always come out looking like Irian Jaya blue-tongues. The same can be said for intergrade offspring that I have seen from a breeding between T. g. gigas and T. g. evanescens. What does all of this suggest?

In order to get some idea as to the actual origin of the Irian Jaya blue-tongue, we should first look at the evolutionary origins of the genus Tiliqua in New Guinea. Evidence suggests that T. gigas is the sister species to T. scincoides, and that these two form a clade that is a sister clade to remaining Tiliqua species (possibly excluding T. adelaidensis). Experts also agree that Tiliqua is the sister taxon to Cyclodomorphus, Trachydosaurus, and Hemisphaeriodon, all of which are exclusive to Australia. Knowing this, it is quite safe to conclude that Tiliqua is an Australian genus, and that T. gigas evolved form an Australian ancestor.

According to Dr. Glenn Shea, there are two different theories as to how this may have happened, and what role it plays in the Irian Jaya blue-tongued skink’s origin. The first is that T. scincoides dispersed into New Guinea across the Torres Straight via an existing land bridge thus giving rise to T. gigas, afterwhich a second scincoides invasion to the extreme south occurred with the later closure of the Torres Strait and the subsequent hybridization that resulted in a population of hybrid animals that gave rise to the Irian Jaya blue-tongued skink. The second theory is that a common ancestor which occurred in both Australia and New Guinea evolved separately into T. gigas and T. scincoides due to some geographical barrier(s) other than the Torres Strait in New Guinea (possibly the Maoke mountain range). Hybridization resulted from the subsequent reintroduction of the two different species that later became isolated due to the closure of the Torres Straight, leaving us with the hybrid population of animals that we now know as the Irian Jaya blue-tongued skink. Both theories basically suggest the same thing, and that is that the Irian Jaya blue-tongued skink is the result of past hybridization between T. gigas and T. scincoides.

While the elaborate conspiracy schemes make for exciting writing, they are based on weak logic, employing many fallacies in reasoning, and are written by individuals with limited or no experience on the subject. After reviewing all of the evidence, I have to agree with Dr. Shea in that the Irian Jaya blue-tongue is a naturally occurring hybrid population that went overlooked in a country that has new reptiles being discovered every year. Unfortunately, because of these findings it is very unlikely that this skink will ever be given its own scientific designation. However, there are currently genetic studies being performed to detect if there has been any hybridization, and how this unique and popular blue-tongued skink fits into the genetic puzzle in comparison with the other described species.

Description: The Irian Jaya blue-tongued skink is one of the more variable blue-tongues. It often looks almost like a cross between the Eastern, Northern, and the Indonesian blue-tongued skinks, borrowing different characteristics from each of them. It is common for many of these characteristics to be inconsistent, and or muted, thus, making identification difficult, and adding to its already confusing status. Like the eastern blue-tongue, it has the bold bands, that cross over the back and onto the sides. The head is variable, often resembling the northern blue-tongue which lacks the dark temporal streak. There are exceptions, with some individuals having strong temporal streaks, which is a trait known to some populations of the Eastern blue-tongue. The Irian Jaya blue-tongue's tail is longer than the other two Australian subspecies, accounting for 65-85% of the snout-vent length. The forelimbs are also quite variable, ranging from dark brown (but never black) with some cream flecking on them (resembling the Indonesian) to a lighter brown with almost no flecking on them (looking more like, but not as light as, the Eastern or Northern blue-tongues). The hind limbs are usually darker than the forelimbs, and very often have large cream spots on them. Their anterior temporal scales are elongated and much longer than the other temporal scales. With a maximum size of 22 inches, the Irian Jaya blue-tongue is a relatively large blue-tongue that can produce up to 15, unusually large, live young in a litter.

Distribution and habitat: The Irian Jaya blue-tongued skink inhabits the dry tropical regions of southern coastal New Guinea that are similar in climate and habitat to adjacent northern Australia. Its range includes both Irian Jaya (the western half of New Guniea that is governed by Indonesia, and allows exportation of its wildlife), and Papua, New Guinea (the eastern half of New Guinea that is governed by Australia, and allows no exportation of its wildlife.) I hope this is some help to you.

wow thanks for the load of info.