Shore Skink

(Leiolopisma smithi)

Also known as short-tailed skink, Smith's skink.

Live: New Zealand

Habitat: Always found near the shoreline, preferring open areas such as driftwood at high tide level or nearby vegetation.

Diet: Food is likely to be small insects found on the beach, under driftwood and weed mats.

Status: Protected

General: This lizard is active during the day (diurnal) and spends most of the day hunting for food or basking. If disturbed it will quickly hide.

Small (up to 8cm) and very well camouflaged, this is the common beach skink of northern New Zealand, named after Lt Alexander Smith, who collected some of the original specimens in the 1840s.

This skink may be found in a range of colours, sometimes almost black. The grey, brown and greenish tones as well as the speckled pattern, provide excellent camouflage. 

Predators include introduced rats and cats as well as native birds of prey.

Please remember that all lizards are protected in New Zealand. You must have a permit to keep any of them, even one you find in your back yard or at the beach on holiday. Lizards are difficult to keep in circumstances where they are happy and healthy.