Skinks – News, Research and Analysis – The Conversation

One of four montane skinks collected by the researchers. Wilson Monia

October 27, 2021

One sentence in a book leads researchers to a species not seen in over 100 years

Harith Omar Morgadinho Farooq, University of Gothenburg and Allison Perrigo, University of Gothenburg

Detailed field notes can help researchers track down rare species.

September 12, 2021

Saving these family-focused lizards may mean moving them to new homes. But that’s not as simple as it sounds

Holly Bradley, Curtin University; Bill Bateman, Curtin University, and Darryl Fogarty, Indigenous Knowledge

Spiny-tailed skinks, also known as meelyu, are culturally significant to the Badimia people in Western Australia. But habitat degradation and mining have put them at threat of extinction.

A specimen of *Proscelotes aenea* collected by Loveridge in 1918 in Lumbo, Mozambique, now kept at the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University. Licensed under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/

August 15, 2021

Search for elusive skinks is filling gaps in Mozambique’s biodiversity data

Harith Omar Morgadinho Farooq, University of Gothenburg and Allison Perrigo, University of Gothenburg

Species distribution data – or a lack thereof – can have a major bearing on how a country’s Key Biodiversity Areas and protected areas are designated.

September 3, 2020

Scientists capture rare footage of mother skink fighting a deadly brown snake to protect her babies

Gregory Watson, University of the Sunshine Coast and Jolanta Watson, University of the Sunshine Coast

Some skinks have been known to kill their babies – but one remarkable species goes to any lengths to save them.

July 12, 2020

A few months ago, science gave this rare lizard a name – and it may already be headed for extinction

Jodi Rowley, Australian Museum

The Kaputar rock skink is thought to have have one of the smallest ranges of any reptile in New South Wales – at the summit of a single extinct volcano, Mount Kaputar.

April 2, 2020

This lizard lays eggs and gives live birth. We think it’s undergoing a major evolutionary transition

Charles Foster, University of Sydney and Camilla Whittington, University of Sydney

The three-toed skink can give birth to live young and lay eggs in the same pregnancy. What can this little critter teach us about the evolution of live birth?

The Christmas Island pipistrelle (Pipistrellus murrayi) became extinct in 2009. Lindy Lumsden

May 9, 2019

We must rip up our environmental laws to address the extinction crisis

Don Driscoll, Deakin University; Desley Whisson, Deakin University; Euan Ritchie, Deakin University; Mike Weston, Deakin University; Raylene Cooke, Deakin University, and Tim Doherty, Deakin University

Current environment laws are manifestly failing Australian animals.

Welcome to the world, little lizard. A three-toed skink (*Saiphos equalis*) hatching from an egg. Nadav Pezaro

April 2, 2019

The first known case of eggs plus live birth from one pregnancy in a tiny lizard

Melanie Laird, University of Otago and Camilla Whittington, University of Sydney

The evolution of live birth from egg-laying is no mean feat. Now new research reports on the first known example where both eggs and a live birth come from the same lizard pregnancy.

What’s hiding in your garden this summer? Matt/Wikimedia Commons

January 28, 2016

Four unusual Australian animals to spot in your garden before summer is out

Heather Neilly, James Cook University and Lin Schwarzkopf, James Cook University

Have a look in your garden - you might be surprised at some of the native animals that thrive there when the weather’s hot.

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