small-scaled skink of northern coastal forest edges
- Size
- Length: 14–18 cm
- Lifespan
- 8–12 years
- Diet
- Insectivorous. Feeds on insects, spiders, wētā, and other small invertebrates. Also eats fruit and berries when available. A diurnal skink that basks in the sun on rocks and logs.
- Habitat
- Montane forests, scrublands, and rocky outcrops. Prefers rocks and logs for basking with dense vegetation for cover. Often found in the high country, basking on sun-warmed rocks.
- Range
- Found only in the North Island, particularly in the central and southern regions. Most common in the Ruahine and Tararua ranges, and the Wellington region. One of the most restricted ranges of any North Island skink.
- Endemism
- Endemic
- Main Threats
- Habitat loss from land development and vegetation clearance is the primary threat. Also threatened by predation from introduced rats, cats, and hedgehogs, and by climate change.
- Population
- A distinctive skink found only in the central and southern North Island. Brown to greyish-brown colouration with darker stripes and spots, and a pale belly. Diurnal, active during the day, often seen basking on rocks or logs in montane forests and rocky outcrops.
- Conservation Status
- At Risk - Declining
The finely textured lizard of the North Island ranges. A skink with scales that are smaller than its relatives.
Small-scaled Skink has scales that are smaller and smoother than those of its relatives. At fourteen to eighteen centimetres in length, it is a medium-sized skink, slender and agile, with brown to greyish-brown colouration and darker stripes and spots. Belly is pale cream, eyes dark and watchful. A lizard that wears fine detail.
A skink of the mountain forest. Found only in the central and southern North Island, in montane forests, scrublands, and rocky outcrops. A diurnal species, active during the day, it basks on sun-warmed rocks and logs, soaking up the heat that will fuel its hunting. The Ruahine and Tararua ranges are its home – steep, forested, and often shrouded in cloud.
Viviparous, giving birth to live young. Females produce three to five offspring each year, a relatively high reproductive rate that allows the species to recover quickly from disturbance. The young are born in late summer and are miniature versions of the adults, independent from birth. This higher rate is a small advantage in a landscape full of predators.
Threatened by habitat loss and predation. Its restricted range makes it vulnerable to localised threats, and its population is declining. The forests of the central North Island have been fragmented by development, and rats and cats patrol the remaining patches.
To see a Small-scaled Skink is to see a lizard that exists nowhere else on Earth. The mountain forest is steep. The skink basks on a sun-warmed rock, small scales smooth and dark, watching. The rats are in the forest. The skink does not know it is threatened. It does not know its range is restricted.
It just wants to bask in the sun. The small-scaled skink hides in the shadows, waiting for the dawn. Its small scales are a reminder of the fine details of the natural world. They are easy to miss but worth looking for.