Crocodile Skink

Place of Birth:

 Northern Papua New Guinea and its offshore islands, including the Indonesian Islands and Solomon Islands.

Eating Habits:

Crocodile skinks are insectivores, and eat a variety of prey items such as crickets, mealworms, mealworm beetles (darkling beetle), worm larvae, waxworks, earthworms, and silkworms.

Quick Facts:

Scientific Name	Tribolonotus gracilis
Size	Adults average about 8-10 inches in length and weigh about 1.5 ounces.
Color	Juveniles are dark brownish black with a thin white or cream mid-dorsal stripe. Adult specimens are solid dark reddish brown with a startlingly bright orange ring around the eye.
Lifespan	Up to 15 years in the wild.  They are slow to mature taking 3-4 years.
Eco Status	Least concern. Abundant in its natural habitat.

Habitat:

Little information is available on their natural habitat, although they have been found in moist habitats along waterways at fairly high elevations.  They are fairly secretive and prefer lush vegetation to hide in.

Animal’s Behaviour

The Orange-Eyed Crocodile Skink is a species of terrestrial, semi-aquatic skink. They are a shy, crepuscular species – most active at dawn and dusk – and spend the rest of their time burrowed or well hidden under leaf litter or in hides. They are fast runners; good climbers and very efficient swimmers who are known to soak in water.  They are able to regenerate their tails if severed in an attack. Females have two ovaries but only the right oviduct and produce only a single egg at a time. The egg is large and the young are comparatively large at hatching. The Crocodile Skink has the distinction of being the only species of lizard known to vocalize when in distress, startled or in defense of offspring.  Juveniles will play dead if captured. The Crocodile skink was largely unknown in captivity until 1994.