Advanced
Search
 Home | About Us | Feedback | Help | Site Map
Native Plants & Animals
Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment

Home > Native Plants & Animals > Animals of Tasmania > Reptiles and Frogs > Lizards of Tasmania > Complete Listing of Tasmanian Lizards

Complete Listing of Tasmanian Lizards


Skinks
Copyright: Alex Dudley
Skinks on log
Skinks (family Scincidae) are one of the most diverse and widespread groups of reptiles in the world, and reach their greatest diversity in Australia. All species of Tasmanian lizard except the Mountain Dragon are skinks. Generally, the common garden lizard seen basking in the sun is a skink. Most skinks have smooth, polished scales and relatively short limbs. Skinks have a small bone in each scale which helps armour these generally small lizards. Extra defences include the ability to drop their tail if this part is grasped. The tail will grow back, but the regrown tail will never look as good as the original. Many smaller Tasmanian species have a transparent scale in the lower eyelid which serves two functions. As well as acting like a pair of safety goggles the transparent scale reduces moisture loss from what would otherwise be a relatively large evaporative surface.The largest Australian skink is the Land Mullet of Northern NSW and south eastern Queensland. In Tasmania the largest species is the Blotched Blue-tongued Lizard and the smallest is the Delicate skink.


Endemic species are marked with an red asterisk (*)

AGAMIDAE:

Mountain Dragon Rankinia diemensis

SCINCIDAE:

Three-lined skink Acritoscincus duperreyi
She-oak skink* Cyclodomorphus casuarinae
White's skink Egernia whitii
Delicate skink Lampropholis delicata
Bougainville's skink Lerista bougainvillii
Mountain skink* Niveoscincus orocryptum
Northern Snow skink*Niveoscincus greeni
Southern Snow skink* Niveoscincus microlepidotus
Spotted skink* Niveoscincus ocellatus
Pedra Branca skink* Niveoscincus palfreymani
Tasmanian Tree skink* Niveoscincus pretiosus
Metallic skink Niveoscincus metallicus
Southern Grass skink Pseudemoia entrecasteauxii
Tussock skink Pseudemoia pagenstecheri
Glossy Grass skink Pseudemoia rawlinsoni
Blotched Blue-tongue lizardTiliqua nigrolutea
Southern Water Skink Eulamprus tympanum


Go to top of page


Tasmania Online


Tasmania Online | Service Tasmania

This page - http://www.dpipwe.tas.gov.au/inter.nsf/WebPages/BHAN-55C3ZL?open - was last published on 8 April 2013 by the Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment. Questions concerning its content can be sent to Internet Coordinator by using the feedback form, by mail to GPO Box 44, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia 7001, or by telephone.

Please read our disclaimer and copyright statements governing the information we provide on this site.

A text version of this page is also available.