You see it before you name it. Eyres Skink is defined by a quiet abundance. One of the most familiar reptiles in the South Island high country. At twelve to sixteen centimetres in length, it is a medium-sized skink. Brown to greyish-brown colouration features darker stripes along back and sides. Belly is pale cream. Eyes are dark and watchful. A lizard that wears stripes. Oligosoma repens is a skink of the tussock and the rock. Found throughout the South Island, in tussock grasslands, scrublands, rocky outcrops, coastal dunes, and riverbeds. A diurnal species, active during the day. It basks on schist rocks and sun-warmed stones, soaking up heat that fuels its hunting. A lizard that goes where the sun is. Absent from West Coast and highest alpine zones. Biologically, Eyres Skink is viviparous, giving birth to live young. Females produce three to five offspring each year. A relatively high reproductive rate that allows species to recover quickly from disturbance. Young are born in late summer and are miniature versions of adults. Independent from birth. A quick return. A short wait. Not threatened. Widespread and common in South Island with healthy populations throughout range. But still vulnerable to predation by introduced rats, cats, and hedgehogs. Habitat loss from land development and farming compounds pressure. Climate change affects coastal and lowland habitats. To see an Eyres Skink is to see a lizard that has adapted to changes humans have brought. The schist rock is warm. The skink basks, stripes dark against grey stone. The cat prowls. The skink does not see it. It just basks. That is all it can do. Named after explorer Edward Eyres, it remains a staple of the open landscape.