# Skink I.D.



## Jacknife (Mar 31, 2013)

Hey guys, just wondering if I could get an I.D. on this little fella.
My partner found him in a rolled up magazine that had been in our mailbox for a few days, we live in Melbourne's inner west.
Unfortunately it appears as though his back legs are paralyzed but his tail has movement in it.
Got him in a little tupperware container with some leaf litter atm but will release him and let nature do it's thing in a moment...


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## Reptilez123 (Mar 31, 2013)

pretty sure thats a marbled gecko i use to see them things around in my backyard


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## Rocket (Mar 31, 2013)

It is not a skink, it is a marbled gecko (_Christinus marmoratus_), as said above.


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## Jacknife (Apr 1, 2013)

Thanks guys!


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## Bluetongue1 (Apr 1, 2013)

Definitely a Marbled Gecko. The elongated dark lines across the mid-back, edged below with a lighter line or blotch and the regular blotches down the middle of the tail are characteristic. The tips of the toe pads are slightly heart-shaped while those of the similar Tree Dtella (_Gehyra variegate_) are rounded. 

With just a little practice you can soon be expert in distinguishing skinks from geckos. Read through the following and then use Google images or borrow a field guide to check out actual examples…
Skinks are glossy with clearly visible over-lapping scales. Geckos are not glossy and have minute scales that sit side by side. As a result, geckos are soft to the touch and the skin is extremely pliable, which is not the case with skinks. Also in contrast to skinks, the head of geckos is large and distinct from the neck, the body is short and wide and the tail is usually around the same length as the body. Geckos eyes are very large, forming distinct bumps on the top of the head (like frogs) and lack eyelids.


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