Biology
provided by Arkive
The scree skink is diurnal and heavily reliant on the sun for raising its body temperature. Accordingly, it is often seen basking on exposed rocks in clear view. Like other New Zealand skinks, it is an omnivorous species, with berries, invertebrates and even other skinks known to feature in its diet (2) (4).
The scree skink gives birth to fully-formed young, which are similar in appearance to the adults (2) (4).
Conservation
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There are currently no known conservation measures in place for the scree skink.
Description
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Like other skinks, the scree skink has an elongate body covered in smooth, glossy scales, a narrow head and small eyes (3) (4). The scales are greyish-white, with black blotches forming bands across the body. The grey, or orange-pink, belly tends to be unmarked, but the chin and throat are sometimes speckled with black (2).
Habitat
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Almost all the known populations of scree skink are found amongst, or near, unstable greywacke screes (2) (5).
Range
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The scree skink is endemic to the South Island of New Zealand where it occurs in a band running along the Southern Alps from Marlborough to northern Otago (2).
Status
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Classified as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List (1).
Threats
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The primary threats to New Zealand skinks are habitat loss and predation by introduced mammals such as cats, ferrets, stoats, weasels, hedgehogs, rats and mice (4). The scree skink population is thought to gradually declining and consequently is classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List (1) (6).
Distribution
provided by ReptileDB
Continent: Oceania
Distribution: New Zealand, South Island (Marlborough, Canterbury)
Scree skink
provided by wikipedia EN
The scree skink (Oligosoma waimatense) is a species of skink native to several sites throughout the South Island of New Zealand. A member of the family Scincidae, it was described by Geoff Patterson in 1997.[2] It favours rocky habitats, particularly greywacke screes. Threats to scree skinks include predation by introduced mammals, weed encroachment, human interference and (for stream bed populations) severe flood events.[3]
Conservation status
As of 2012 the Department of Conservation (DOC) classified the scree skink as Nationally Vulnerable under the New Zealand Threat Classification System.[4]
References
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^ Lettink, M., Hitchmough, R., van Winkel, D. & Chapple, D. 2019. Oligosoma waimatense. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2019: e.T15265A120191303. Downloaded on 19 July 2019.
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^ Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand, Volume 27, Number 4 pp 439 - 450
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^ Lettink, Marieke; Monks, Jo (2018) New Zealand Journal of Ecology, Volume 43, Number 1 doi 10.20417/nzjecol.43.6
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^ Hitchmough, Rod; Anderson, Peter; Barr, Ben; Monks, Jo; Lettink, Marieke; Reardon, James; Tocher, Mandy; Whitaker, Tony. "Conservation status of New Zealand reptiles, 2012" (PDF). Department of Conservation. The Government of New Zealand. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
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Scree skink: Brief Summary
provided by wikipedia EN
The scree skink (Oligosoma waimatense) is a species of skink native to several sites throughout the South Island of New Zealand. A member of the family Scincidae, it was described by Geoff Patterson in 1997. It favours rocky habitats, particularly greywacke screes. Threats to scree skinks include predation by introduced mammals, weed encroachment, human interference and (for stream bed populations) severe flood events.
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