Suter's skink
| Suter's skink | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Sauria |
| Family: | Scincidae |
| Genus: | Oligosoma |
| Species: | O. suteri |
| Binomial name | |
| Oligosoma suteri (Boulenger 1906) | |
 | |
Suter's skink (Oligosoma suteri) is the only native New Zealand skink to lay eggs – hence its other common name, the egg-laying skink. (The egg-laying rainbow skink is present in some parts of New Zealand, but is introduced from Australia). O. suteri lives on northern offshore islands, from the Three Kings Islands to the Alderman Islands. It inhabits the coast, often very close to the water, eating mainly intertidal amphipods that in turn subsist on dead seaweed. It is known to hunt for prey in rock pools and is a capable swimmer.[1] Suter's skink reaches densities (up to 13/m2) that are among the highest lizard densities anywhere in the world.[2]
It is named after Henry Suter (1841–1918), New Zealand zoologist and palaeontologist.
References
- ↑ Towns, D. R. (1975). Ecology of the black shore skink, Leiolopisma suteri (Lacertilia: Scincidae), in boulder beach habitats. New Zealand Journal of Zoology 2(4): 389–407
- ↑ Polis, G. A., F. Sánchez-Piìnero, P. T. Stapp, W. B. Anderson and M. D. Rose (2004). "Trophic flows from water to land: marine input affects food webs of islands and coastal ecosystems worldwide." Food Webs at the Landscape Level. G. A. Polis, M. E. Power and G. R. Huxel, eds. Chicago, The University of Chicago Press. pp 200–216.
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