Skittering Skinks

My friends in New Jersey have skinks that hang out on their deck in the summer.  My family and I took a vacation in Florida many years back and I was fascinated by the skinks I saw there.  But in both cases they were the little 5 or 6-inch models - probably five-lined skinks in New Jersey.  That's why I was so interested to find out about the Solomon Islands Skink because I didn't know they got that big!

The Solomon Islands Skink, also known as the monkey-tailed skink or prehensile-tailed skink, is the largest known skink in the world and can be up to three feet long, including its tail.  It's also the only skink with a prehensile tail which it uses to grasp tree branches as it's climbing in the trees.  It has sharp, strong claws which also help it climb.  It is arboreal and spends almost all of its time in the trees and is one of the few skinks that is a vegetarian.  It's diet is mostly leaves, flowers and fruit.

Source:  Reptile Paradise

This skink is also nocturnal and relies on its sense of smell for finding food.  It is one of the few reptiles that lives in a group, called a circulus.  The youngsters stay with the group for up to a year and then go off to form their own group.  They live in the high rainforest canopy, so extensive logging is reducing their habitat.  They are also popular as pets.

Source:  Monkey-tailed  Skink.com

The scientific name is Corucia zebrata referring to the skink's striped markings and shimmering green scales.  This guy is definitely a unique species.