Community & Business
25 October, 2023
I am not a blue-tongued lizard
Found around Clifton and Allora and often identified incorrectly, I am in fact a Cunningham’s Skink and can be found only in South East Queensland, eastern NSW, central Victoria and the Mt Lofty ranges in South Australia.
The Cunningham’s Skink (Egernia cunninghami) is a sun-loving variety of spiny-tailed skink.
The species is named in honor of Alan Cunningham, explorer and botanist, who collected the first specimen in the Blue Mountains.
The species occurs within forests and open woodland which feature rock outcrops where they bask in the sun with their babies.
This species is viviparous with females producing litters of live young.
It is also highly monogamous with most males fathering only one litter.
Despite remaining within the same range and not often dispersing, genetic studies have shown that Cunningham’s Skinks can identify close relatives and always choose unrelated partners.
Litter size ranges from one to eleven young.
These omnivorous lizards eat a variety of invertebrates such as insects, snails and slugs as well as vegetation such as fruit and leaves.
Next time you’re out in the yard, keep an eye out.
