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Story: Lizards

Chatham Island skink

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Chatham Island skink

The Chatham Island skink (Oligosoma n. nigriplantare) is a subspecies of the common skink. This pregnant female will give birth to a litter of up to eight or nine live young, usually in January or February. Adults grow up to 9 centimetres in length. Just a few centimetres long at birth, the young grow rapidly and by their first winter have nearly doubled their weight.

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Reference: Re0076Mrt.tif

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How to cite this page

Kerry-Jayne Wilson, Lizards – Appearance and life cycle, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/13518/chatham-island-skink (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Kerry-Jayne Wilson, published 1 March 2009, updated 1 March 2014.