The distinctively marked striped skink is one of New Zealand’s least known and rarely seen lizards.
Image courtesy of Windy Hill Sanctuary
Very little is known of its ecology and habits and all sightings and records of this skink can provide valuable clues to help DOC its continued survival.
The species is easily recognised by the pale stripes running down the length of its body, and makes for an eye-catching sight with its lightening quick movements.
The striped skink is listed as ‘Declining’ under DOC’s Threat Classification system.
The sparse records for this species indicate that they are widespread through the central North Island up to Great and Little Barrier Islands although their secretive nature has meant that accurate population monitoring has not yet been able to take place.
Striped skinks give birth in summer and can have up to eight young in a litter. Although their growth rates and lifespan are unknown, an adult in captivity has lived for over 20 years.
Again, their diet in the wild is largely unknown, while in captivity they mainly eat insects, but will also eat soft fruit.
Read More at the Department of Conservation
Source: Department of Conservation and licensed by greatbarrierisland.nz for re-use under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/