The Nevis Valley is dry. The sun is harsh. The Nevis Skink does not mind. The Nevis Skink is the lizard of the dry valley, defined by a love of the sun and a tolerance for the harsh, dry conditions of Central Otago. At eighteen to twenty-two centimetres in length, it is a large, robust skink, with dark brown to greyish-brown colouration and pale flecks and stripes that provide camouflage among the schist rocks. The belly is pale cream, and the eyes are dark and watchful. A lizard that has learned to live with less. This is a skink of the rocks and the sun. The Nevis Skink is found only in the Nevis Valley in Central Otago, in rocky outcrops, schist tors, and tussock grasslands. It basks on sun-warmed rocks, soaking up the heat that will fuel its hunting. A lizard that lives where the shade is scarce. Biologically, the Nevis Skink is a viviparous species, giving birth to live young. Females produce two to four offspring each year, a slow reproductive rate that makes the species vulnerable to population decline. The young are born in late summer and are miniature versions of the adults, independent from birth. A slow return. A long wait. The Nevis Skink is one of New Zealand's rarest lizards. Its restricted range makes it vulnerable to localised threats, and its population is declining. The valley is dry. The sun is hot. The skink has nowhere else to go. To see a Nevis Skink is to see a lizard of the dry valley, a survivor of the harsh Otago landscape. Its future depends on the protection of its rocky habitat and the control of predators. The schist rock is warm. The skink basks, dark brown against grey stone, watching with dark eyes. The sun beats down. The skink does not move. It has been here for thousands of years. It will be here as long as the rocks remain.