Blue
Tongue
Skink
The best known Australian skinks, blue
tongue skinks are found in
northern Australia, and the eastern blue tongue skinks Tiliqua scincoides
are found in
north Queensland and on the southern Cape York peninsula,
between Cooktown in the north and Cardwell in the south.
by Pip_Wilson via Flickr.com
Pink
Tongue
Skink
Similar to blue tongue skinks, these beautiful Australian skinks are
found along the eastern
coast of Australia, in the areas in and around Cairns, Ingham and
Mackay in north Queensland, and even Sydney in New South Wales. Pattern
and looks similar to the species above; juveniles can have stronger
banding.
by Arthur Chapman via Flickr.com
Major
and
Yakka
Skinks
Both stocky, with almost stumpy tails, and no cross banding or quite as
triangular heads as the species above. Major skink is found in
rainforests, woodlands and open forests from Torres Strait in the north
and New South Wales border in the south. Yakka skink is found in dry
open forest from eastern Cape York peninsula to south east Queensland.
Eastern
Water Skink
Eastern water skink Eulamprus
quoyiiis
found between Cooktown and Mackay in Queensland, as well as in Victoria
and South Australia. Related Australian skinks we have in Queensland
are Eulamprus tigrinus,
Eulamprus luteilateralis,
Eulamprus
brachysoma, Eulamprus
sokosoma, Eulamprus
frerei, and Eulamprus
tenuis.
By
Bill & Mark Bell via
Flickr.com
Dwarf
Skinks
There are two species of dwarf Australian skinks in tropical north
Queensland - Menetia
sadlieri
and Menetia timlowi.
Both are found from north eastern to southern Queensland, the first on Magnetic Island outside Townsville, and the second near Mt Garnet in the southern Cape York peninsula.
By Jeff_Black via Flickr.com
Fire
Tailed
Skinks
Fire tailed skink, Morethia
taeniopleura, some of the most beautiful Australian
skinks, with
a brown body, red tail
and a darker stripe, surrounded by narrower, white stripes, along the
sides of its body. It lives in woodlands of north Queensland,
from Cooktown in the north to Bowen in the south.
Sun
Skinks
Sun
skinks belong to Lampropholis
and Lerista
species, and in north
eastern Queensland we have Lampropholis
delicata (Mt Molloy to Mackay), Lampropholis robertsi
(Cooktown to
Ravenshoe), Lampropholis
adonis,
coggeri and
mirabilis
(south of Cape York); as
well as Lerista
colliveri and
Lerista zonulata (south of Cape York peninsula).
By
beastiepix via Flickr.com
Shade
Skinks
Shade skinks are Saproscincus
species and the ones found in Cape York area include Saproscincus
basilicus (Roaring Meg Falls to Cape Tribulation),
Saproscincus
lewisi (Helenvale to Cape Tribulation, and Saproscincus
tetradactylus (Mossman Gorge to Paluma Range National
Park).
Striped
Skinks
Striped skinks belong to Ctenotus
species, and in Cape York area we have Ctenotus monticola
(Mareeba), Ctenotus
robustus (Cooktown area), Ctenotus spaldingi
(Cooktown to
Chillagoe), Ctenotus
nullum
(Cooktown, Laura, Black Mountain, Shipton's Flat) and Ctenotus taeniolatus
(Cairns area).
Rainbow
Skinks
Rainbow skinks belong to Carlia
species, and in Cape York area we have Carlia jarnoldae
(Heathlands), Carlia
Longipes (Cooktown), Carlia
mundivensis (Chillagoe), Carlia pectoralis
(Mt Molloy), Carlia
rostralis (Laura), Carlia
schmeltzii (Weipa,
Cooktown), Carlia
scirtetis
(Black Mountain), Carlia
Storri
and Carlia vivax
(Cooktown).
Litter
Skinks
Litter skinks belong to Lygisaurus
species and and in tropical north Queensland we have Lygisaurus aeratus
(Cooktown,
Coen), Lygisaurus laevis
(Cooktown to Bramston Beach), Lygisaurus
tanneri (Cooktown, McIvor Ranges) and Lygisaurs zuma
(Paluma to Mackay).
By teejaybee via Flickr.com
Worm
Skinks
Worm skinks belong to Anomalopus
species, and what they have in common is that they have very small,
short or absent limbs. In north eastern Queensland we have Anomalopus
gowi (Mt Garnet, Townsville area), Anomalopus brevicollis,
and Anomalopus verreauxi
(both roughly
in Mackay and Clermont area).
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