Robust skink
Encyclopedia
The robust skink, Cyclodina alani, is a large, rare species of skink
endemic to New Zealand
. This species was once widespread throughout the North Island
but has been wiped out in most parts of its former range by predation from several species of introduced rats
- it now occurs naturally only on 6 small islands off the north-eastern coast of the North Island.
The specific epithet for this animal was given by the describer in honour of his nephew, Alan Robb.
Robust skinks are strongly nocturnal and live under rocks, or in seabird burrows, tree stumps and fallen logs. They prefer well vegetated areas with plenty of leaf litter and tolerate coastal areas as long as there is dense vegetation cover. Studies of robust skinks show they are unusually vulnerable to losing water through their skin, which may explain their preference for damp environments such as crevices, bird burrows, rotting logs and closely matted vegetation.
Skink
Skinks are lizards belonging to the family Scincidae. Together with several other lizard families, including Lacertidae , they comprise the superfamily or infraorder Scincomorpha...
endemic to New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. This species was once widespread throughout the North Island
North Island
The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island...
but has been wiped out in most parts of its former range by predation from several species of introduced rats
RATS
RATS may refer to:* RATS , Regression Analysis of Time Series, a statistical package* Rough Auditing Tool for Security, a computer program...
- it now occurs naturally only on 6 small islands off the north-eastern coast of the North Island.
The specific epithet for this animal was given by the describer in honour of his nephew, Alan Robb.
Robust skinks are strongly nocturnal and live under rocks, or in seabird burrows, tree stumps and fallen logs. They prefer well vegetated areas with plenty of leaf litter and tolerate coastal areas as long as there is dense vegetation cover. Studies of robust skinks show they are unusually vulnerable to losing water through their skin, which may explain their preference for damp environments such as crevices, bird burrows, rotting logs and closely matted vegetation.