Lakes skink

Oligosoma aff. chloronoton “West Otago”

Threatened - Nationally Vulnerable

The Lakes skink Oligosoma aff. chloronoton “West Otago” is a large, striking lizard endemic to southern New Zealand.

Quick Facts:

• Body length (snout-to-vent) up to 110 mm.
• These hefty lizards are typically shades of brown and/or green in colour and are often peppered with pale flecks called ‘ocelli’. 
• Lakes skinks are heliothermic lizards that love the sun, though they often bask in partial concealment and thermoregulate under cover. 
• The name “Lakes skink” is a nod to the distribution of this species — the Southern Lakes area (i.e., the Mackenzie District through to Te Anau). 
• Lakes skinks have mostly persisted in rocky river terraces and sub-alpine/alpine ecosystems with complex tussock grasslands, scree/talus and damp gullies.

Protecting the Lakes skink means preserving western Otago’s sub-alpine/alpine ecosystems and suppressing exotic mammalian predators. Rodents, mustelids, cats, and habitat modification pose a significant threat to these chunky lizards. We’re conducting surveys to learn more about the Lakes skink’s local distribution and are hope to protect at least one population of these gorgeous reptiles.  

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