Truly tentative sunbathers

The lizards we know as skinks belong to one of the largest families of lizards. There are at least 650 species worldwide. In New Zealand we have about 35 different species.

Most skinks live on the ground and favour easily accessed cover such as fallen vegetation, crevices in rocks, and holes they have dug themselves.

The common skink is often found in coastal areas but may be seen among vegetation in the home garden.

The common skink is known as a ‘‘basker’’. It likes to come out and bathe in the sun but will dive for cover at the slightest disturbance.

When basking, skinks often just expose just their heads and front legs to minimise the risk of predation by hawks, kingfishers and cats.

The common skink is described as diurnal, a term that is applied to animals that are most active during daylight hours.

When feeding they hunt for a range of insects, spiders and crustaceans and are known to take berries and nectar. In captivity they will lick at honey and dates.

Young common skinks are born in January and February. The baby skinks are born alive and are tiny, measuring about 25mm. There may be as many as eight or nine per litter.

The skink in the photograph was 15cm long was discovered along with two others in the middle of winter, living under a sheet of corrugated iron that was lying among some grass in a paddock.