Story: Lizards

The egg-laying skink (Oligosoma suteri) is found on islands off the northern North Island, including the Three Kings, Great Barrier and Alderman islands. Mainly nocturnal, it finds food on rocky shores, often venturing down to the tide line. It is the only endemic New Zealand lizard that lays eggs (all others give birth to live young). Females make a nest by scraping a hollow in shingle or sand, often beneath a boulder. They mate in spring, and the eggs hatch some five months later – one of the longest development times for skinks.