Great Desert Skink (Liopholis kintorei)
Great Desert Skink (Liopholis kintorei) (formerly Egernia kintorei)
Family: Scincidae
Class: Reptilia
National status: Vulnerable
State status: Vulnerable.
DESCRIPTION
The Great Desert Skink is a large brightly coloured burrowing lizard. The dorsal surface ranges from a bright orange colour through to a dull grey whilst their underside ranges from a brilliant yellow to cream or grey. They grow to about 440mm in total length and can weigh up to 350g. Males attain a greater body weight to females.
DISTRIBUTION AND HABITAT
The Great Desert Skink is endemic to the Australian arid zone. Detailed knowledge of their distribution is likely to remain imprecise, due to the remoteness and inaccessibility of much of the potential habitat (McAlpin, 2001).
Historically the Great Desert Skink has been recorded from a range of vegetation types across the western desert region, including the Tanami Desert, Great Sandy Desert, Gibson Desert and the Great Victoria Desert.
Known populations today are most commonly associated with hummock grass sanplains, adjacent dunefield swales and paleodrainage lines, however, they have also been found recently within open Mulga woodland over Wollybutt grass (McAlpine, 2001).
On Newhaven the Great Desert Skink is most commonly found within semi-saline Spinifex plains.
THREATS
Several threatening processes have been identified that have contributed to the decline of the Great Desert Skink. Habitat homogenization as a consequence of broadscale intense wildfires can devastate or fragment local populations. Predation by feral cats and foxes are also likely to be a serious threat.
GENERAL INFORMATION
The Great Desert skink feeds on a variety of invertebrates, particularly termites, small vertebrates and the flowers, fruit and leaves of some plants.
It is a communal species that digs complex burrow systems, living with up to 10 other individuals. They defecate at a central ‘latrine’, which are usually located at the surface of an occupied burrow. The Great Desert Skink gives birth to between one and five live young during the summer months.