Saving the Skink

Identification depends on where specimens are found, and such minutiae as the number of scales on their toes. Two of the largest species of skink - the grand and the Otago - are found only in Otago, in New Zealand's South Island. Skinks, being reptiles, need to regulate their temperature, and lie on sunny rocks to absorb heat. However, the grand and Otago are the only kinds that do not hibernate through winter; when snow can fall even in summer in Otago, there is no point in them lying dormant for extended periods. Like all other New Zealand reptiles except tuatara and the egg-laying Suter's skink, they give birth to tiny baby lizards. Today, the Otago and grand skinks are lucky to reach five years of age in the wild, although in zoos or research centres they can live beyond thirty. B Unfortunately, extinction may loom for these reptiles. With any decline in New Zealand fauna, predation is always suspected, so the efforts of the Department of Conservation (DOC) have focused on controlling specific pests. An example was a six-year project to control the feral cats on the Otago Skink Reserve, launched in the 1990s. Despite the capture of hundreds of cats, skinks showed no signs of recovery; indeed, there were further…