Common garden skink

Description

The common garden skink (Lampropholis guichenoti) is a small species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to Australia. Additional common names for L. guichenoti include grass skink, Guichenot's grass skink, pale-flecked garden sunskink, and penny lizard. Lampropholis guichenoti can grow to a maximum of 14 cm, but rarely exceeds 9 cm. The average common garden skink lives for 2–3 years. The garden skink usually has a browny black colour and sometimes may appear a dark shade of red when bathing in the sun. The lighter their colour the more energetic they are. They have small sharp teeth which easily slice through smaller prey. Even wild individuals are very docile, and rarely bite humans when touched or picked up. The female pale-flecked garden sunskink has a yellowish, almost orange tinge to her underside, however the males have a light grey tinge to their underside. Females are often bigger than the males in size. Skinks are often seen under leaves, in long grass and under rocks so that they can watch their prey, they often prefer hiding in logs where their larger predators cannot reach them. As with most reptiles, the Common garden skink is cold blooded, and may be seen on top of rocks or paths in the morning trying to warm their blood. Skinks enjoy large areas with a lot of leaves and soft soil. They are normally found around hot and dusty areas that have many trees and stumps.