Prehensile-Tailed Skink/Solomon Islands Skink/Monkey-Tailed Skink

ANIMAL:
Prehensile-Tailed Skink/Solomon Islands Skink/Monkey-Tailed Skink Corucia zebrata

Type of Animal:
Skink

Habitat:
Forests, semi-cleared areas, trees in cultivated food gardens

Location(s):
Solomon Islands

Appearance:
World’s largest skink, long body, strong short legs, triangular-shaped head w/ small round eyes, noticeable prehensile tail, males have broader heads & more slender body shape, fairly flat triangular head on both sexes, common/nominate subspecies larger/longer than Northern subspecies, dark green to olive-brown coloration often speckled w/ light brown/black, females slightly heavier but males longer

Food/Diet:
Leaves, leafy plants, greens, fruit, vegetables, legumes, melons, berries, flowers, shoots

Status in Wild:
Threatened

Conservation:
Breeding in zoos, aquariums, wildlife centers, & herpetoculture. Exportation from Solomon Islands illegal.

Lifestyle:
Found in group called circulus comprising male, 1-3 females, & young/juveniles. Solitary individuals (especially males) also occur).

Additional Info:

Called:
Male
Female
Young
Group: Circulus

Weight:
Male: 1-1.8 lbs
Female: 1-2 lbs
Young: 0.66 lbs

Gestation:
7-10 months 

Life Span:
15-25 years

Body Length:
Male: 2-2.3 ft
Female: 1.83-2 ft
Young: 1.4 ft

Tail Length:
Male: 1-1.15 ft
Female: 0.915-1 ft
Young: 0.7 ft

Main predators are raptors, boas, & rats.
 
Threatened due to pet trade, habitat loss, deforestation, hunting for meat, & low reproductive rate.
 
They’re ovoviviparous w/ 1-2 eggs hatching inside mom’s body, coming out as 1-2 live young.
 
Young stay in circulus until 6-12 months old w/ males leaving before females. Whole circulus highly protective of young, often attacking intruders.
 
Circulus members highly territorial of area/towards unfamiliar skinks, w/ territorial battles sometimes resulting in death. Males can be especially territorial & almost never accept other males. Females may sometimes accept new females.
 
These skinks are highly arboreal.
 
Also called Solomon Islands Tree Skink, Corucia Skink, Zebra Skink, Solomon Island Giant Skink, & Solomon Island Green Tree Skink.
 
Sexually mature at 2 years old.
 
Prehensile tail comes in handy for grabbing branches/maintaining balance.
 
Sharp hooked claws act as climbing picks.

Fun Fact(s):
Only skink species w/ prehensile tail.
 
Only entirely herbivorous skink.
 
Unlike many lizards & many skinks, they can’t regenerate tail if it falls off, meaning preferred mode of defense is hissing/biting/scratching.
 
These skinks can be fairly tame in captivity but caution must be taken around them (especially if there’s young around) due to powerful jaws & sharp claws. They’re not beginner pets.

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