F15hguy Posted July 6, 2013 Report Share Posted July 6, 2013 Found a few McCanns skinks (not 100% positive on ID yet, getting it confirmed) during a bug trapping mission recently. got a few nice pics before releasing them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted July 6, 2013 Report Share Posted July 6, 2013 I love skinks. Such cute little lizards. I found a little Copper skink clearing mulch off my sleepout roof last weekend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F15hguy Posted July 6, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 6, 2013 they didn't seem to mind me picking them up too much, felt really bad that they spent the night in my pitfall traps though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disgustipated Posted July 6, 2013 Report Share Posted July 6, 2013 we saw a few of those little brown skinks running around carine while we were there. in case you were wondering what i was doing reaching under a random pallet of fishponds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reptilez Posted July 6, 2013 Report Share Posted July 6, 2013 Have never seen these skinks in the wild before. They are so nice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F15hguy Posted July 8, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 8, 2013 Ok got the official ID, Oligosoma smithi or Shore skink can some one please edit the Title??? supposedly Mcannes skinks are South island only damn incorrect ID books. I have found about 10 :evil: LIES :evil: in this one might make good kindling Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted July 8, 2013 Report Share Posted July 8, 2013 should be able to edit your own title Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophia Posted July 8, 2013 Report Share Posted July 8, 2013 to edit your title, simply press edit on the first post and then change the title in there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted July 8, 2013 Report Share Posted July 8, 2013 Ok got the official ID, Oligosoma smithi or Shore skink can some one please edit the Title??? supposedly Mcannes skinks are South island only damn incorrect ID books. I have found about 10 :evil: LIES :evil: in this one might make good kindling Mrs Smith on your facebook page Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M@. Posted July 9, 2013 Report Share Posted July 9, 2013 hehe, here's my skinky claim to fame! http://breamheadtrust.org.nz/news/new-species-of-skink-found-at-bream-head/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted July 9, 2013 Report Share Posted July 9, 2013 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mcculloch Posted July 9, 2013 Report Share Posted July 9, 2013 awesome :gopo: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunbird73 Posted July 9, 2013 Report Share Posted July 9, 2013 Found one of these a few years ago, up near Dargaville, Glinks gully. Beautiful fat sand coloured skink, tho this one was without its tail. id'ed as Oligosoma smithi same as yours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunbird73 Posted July 9, 2013 Report Share Posted July 9, 2013 hehe, here's my skinky claim to fame! http://breamheadtrust.org.nz/news/new-species-of-skink-found-at-bream-head/ oooh pretty! well done! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruru Posted July 12, 2013 Report Share Posted July 12, 2013 The Bream head skink is gorgeous! Very similar to the brown skinks I've seen near Wellington. The skinks you have seen running around carine are almost certainly rainbow skinks; an accidental import that is rapidly becoming a pest. One of their known vectors is compost and pot plants. Rainbow skinks lay their eggs (only one species of native skink lays eggs) in the compost/pot and the pot gets transported around the country. Which is why they appear in high densities in garden centres and replanted areas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F15hguy Posted July 12, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 12, 2013 how the hell do you prove a skink is a different species if they are all morphologically variable? genetic testing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reptilez Posted July 12, 2013 Report Share Posted July 12, 2013 Those pictures are clearly not of rainbow skinks... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F15hguy Posted July 12, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 12, 2013 rainbows = comment about the skinks at Carine. Shore skinks = thread topic New Species = comments about M@ goregeous little fella. p.s. before you running out to catch and photo your own skinks remember it is technically illegal to handle any NZ Native reptile without a permit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted July 12, 2013 Report Share Posted July 12, 2013 how the hell do you prove a skink is a different species if they are all morphologically variable? genetic testing? scale counts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted July 12, 2013 Report Share Posted July 12, 2013 p.s. before you running out to catch and photo your own skinks remember it is technically illegal to handle any NZ Native reptile without a permit. But it's perfectly legal for you to introduce a predatory species into the environment and allow it to eat them, just as long as you don't touch the reptile while your cat eats it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F15hguy Posted July 12, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 12, 2013 ooooh and I found the info.... http://nzlizards.landcareresearch.co.nz ... 7d8814bedb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted July 12, 2013 Report Share Posted July 12, 2013 for ID http://nzlizards.landcareresearch.co.nz ... 7d8814bedb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M@. Posted July 13, 2013 Report Share Posted July 13, 2013 The Bream head skink is gorgeous! Very similar to the brown skinks I've seen near Wellington. Thanks Guys, i was pretty stoked to be involved with this one! how the hell do you prove a skink is a different species if they are all morphologically variable? genetic testing? It is very closely related to the brown skink, but they are only found below Taranaki, so finding something similar in northland got lots of people very excited! The DNA testing showed something like a 3.5% variance from the brown skink, and the current variance within that species is 1.2%, i think. So it will be investigated further (with things like scale counts) this summer to see if it will be described as a unique species And as F15hguy pointed out, yes we did have a permit for handling, but had to take the one we caught into DOC for the DNA sample to be taken (was released back where we caught it after) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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