moloch05
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My work commitments in Tasmania have sadly come to a close. I have had a great time in the past year with frequent trips to Hobart. My wife often accompanied me and this has felt much like a working holiday. On occasion, I was able to take a break and we would hire a car and head to the wild country to see some of this beautiful island. Tasmania has some spectacular and pristine national parks.
I know that it may sound strange but seeing the snow skinks (Niveoscincus) was high on my list of things to do. The fact that the lizards have adapted to what seems to be a hostile environment to reptiles made them particularly interesting to me. Also, some of these required a fair amount of trekking and hunting to find.
Six species of these cold-adapted skinks live on the main island of Tasmania. A seventh, the Pedra Branca Skink (N. palfriymani) lives on a small islet 26 km to the south of Tasmania and is the southernmost terrestrial vertebrate found in Australia. It must be one of the most southerly occurring reptiles in the world. Does anyone know how far south reptiles are found in Argentina/Chile?
It took many months and trips but I eventually found all of the accessible snow skinks. Some of these were a challenge to identify and I required the assistance from other knowledgeable sources. I think that the identities of the skinks in the following photos are correct.
1. Metallic Skink (Niveoscincus metallicus) was the most widespread and abundant member of the genus. I saw these skinks in habitats ranging from coastal heaths to the barren tops of some of the tallest mountains in Tasmania. This species also is found in the southeast of the mainland of Australia.
Here are a few habitat shots where I observed Metallic Skinks:
... rocky headland of Cape Raoul, Tasman National Park.
... summit of Mt. Wellington (near Hobart)
...sun gaps in otherwise dense stands of Myrtle ("Antarctic") Beech Trees in Cradle Mountain National Park:
... rocky alpine areas such as along the Overland Track at Cradle Mountain National Park.
Metallic Skinks (Niveoscincus metallicus) were best recognized by the large paravertebral scales visible in some of these photos:
2. Tasmanian Tree Skinks (Niveoscincus pretiosus) were also widely distributed. I found it to be hard to distinguish between this skink and the Metallic Skink since their colours and patterns were often the same. They differ in the size of the scales on the back. Tasmanian Tree Skinks have small scales whereas the Metallic Skinks had large paravertebral scales. These features were usually easier to see in photos then in the field.
... habitat: dry forest
Tasmania Tree Skink (Niveoscincus praetiosus)
3. Ocellated Skink (Niveoscincus ocellatus) was another widespread species that was abundant on coastal rocky headlands or on rocks within dry forest. I saw one on an upper slope of a mountain in Cradle Mountain National Park but this species was much more common at lower elevations.
... we found many Ocellated Skinks along the cliff tops of Cape Raoul in this photo:
Ocellated Skink (Niveoscincus ocellatus)
4. Southern Snow Skinks (Niveoscincus micorlepidotus) were one of three species restricted to mountaintops. These skinks were usually seen basking on rocks at the summit or on the upper talus slopes of the mountains.
... habitat: Mt. Field National Park
... tarn shelf of Mt. Field National Park
... summit of Mt. Wellington where these skinks were particularly abundant:
... a few lived on the outcrops along the Overland Track at Cradle Mountain. They were replaced by another species, the Northern Snow Skink (N. greeni) on the upper crags of Cradle Mountain itself.
Southern Snow Skinks (Niveoscincus microlepidotus)
... communal basking on Mt. Wellington:
5. Northern Snow Skink (Niveoscincus greeni) was another alpine specialist restricted to a few mountain tops in northern Tasmania. I found this species only when I climbed to the summit of Cradle Mountain. These were easy skinks to recognize.
... habitat: upper slopes and summit of Cradle Mountain, Cradle Mountain National Park.
Northern Snow Skink (Niveoscincus greeni)
... adult
... juvenile
6. Mountain Skink (Niveoscincus orocryptis) was the third alpine specialist. The species is currently known from a few mountaintops in southwestern Tasmania but I have heard that there are reports of this species from other more distant locations in Tasmania as well. It seems that the range of Mountain Skinks is not all that well known. I only found this species after repeatedly visiting Hartz Mountain National Park. The weather in the southwest of Tasmania is often bad and it took five visits to finally find a day that was clear and warm enough for the skinks to emerge.
... habitat: summit of Hartz Mountain, Hartz Mountain National Park
Mountain Skink (Niveoscincus orocryptis):
Finally, here is the only other species of snow skink to be found on the mainland of Australia. It is not found in Tasmania but I wanted to include it for comparison with the Tassie species.
7. Niveoscincus coventryi
... and its habitat at Lake Mountain, Victoria.
Regards,
David
I know that it may sound strange but seeing the snow skinks (Niveoscincus) was high on my list of things to do. The fact that the lizards have adapted to what seems to be a hostile environment to reptiles made them particularly interesting to me. Also, some of these required a fair amount of trekking and hunting to find.
Six species of these cold-adapted skinks live on the main island of Tasmania. A seventh, the Pedra Branca Skink (N. palfriymani) lives on a small islet 26 km to the south of Tasmania and is the southernmost terrestrial vertebrate found in Australia. It must be one of the most southerly occurring reptiles in the world. Does anyone know how far south reptiles are found in Argentina/Chile?
It took many months and trips but I eventually found all of the accessible snow skinks. Some of these were a challenge to identify and I required the assistance from other knowledgeable sources. I think that the identities of the skinks in the following photos are correct.
1. Metallic Skink (Niveoscincus metallicus) was the most widespread and abundant member of the genus. I saw these skinks in habitats ranging from coastal heaths to the barren tops of some of the tallest mountains in Tasmania. This species also is found in the southeast of the mainland of Australia.
Here are a few habitat shots where I observed Metallic Skinks:
... rocky headland of Cape Raoul, Tasman National Park.
... summit of Mt. Wellington (near Hobart)
...sun gaps in otherwise dense stands of Myrtle ("Antarctic") Beech Trees in Cradle Mountain National Park:
... rocky alpine areas such as along the Overland Track at Cradle Mountain National Park.
Metallic Skinks (Niveoscincus metallicus) were best recognized by the large paravertebral scales visible in some of these photos:
2. Tasmanian Tree Skinks (Niveoscincus pretiosus) were also widely distributed. I found it to be hard to distinguish between this skink and the Metallic Skink since their colours and patterns were often the same. They differ in the size of the scales on the back. Tasmanian Tree Skinks have small scales whereas the Metallic Skinks had large paravertebral scales. These features were usually easier to see in photos then in the field.
... habitat: dry forest
Tasmania Tree Skink (Niveoscincus praetiosus)
3. Ocellated Skink (Niveoscincus ocellatus) was another widespread species that was abundant on coastal rocky headlands or on rocks within dry forest. I saw one on an upper slope of a mountain in Cradle Mountain National Park but this species was much more common at lower elevations.
... we found many Ocellated Skinks along the cliff tops of Cape Raoul in this photo:
Ocellated Skink (Niveoscincus ocellatus)
4. Southern Snow Skinks (Niveoscincus micorlepidotus) were one of three species restricted to mountaintops. These skinks were usually seen basking on rocks at the summit or on the upper talus slopes of the mountains.
... habitat: Mt. Field National Park
... tarn shelf of Mt. Field National Park
... summit of Mt. Wellington where these skinks were particularly abundant:
... a few lived on the outcrops along the Overland Track at Cradle Mountain. They were replaced by another species, the Northern Snow Skink (N. greeni) on the upper crags of Cradle Mountain itself.
Southern Snow Skinks (Niveoscincus microlepidotus)
... communal basking on Mt. Wellington:
5. Northern Snow Skink (Niveoscincus greeni) was another alpine specialist restricted to a few mountain tops in northern Tasmania. I found this species only when I climbed to the summit of Cradle Mountain. These were easy skinks to recognize.
... habitat: upper slopes and summit of Cradle Mountain, Cradle Mountain National Park.
Northern Snow Skink (Niveoscincus greeni)
... adult
... juvenile
6. Mountain Skink (Niveoscincus orocryptis) was the third alpine specialist. The species is currently known from a few mountaintops in southwestern Tasmania but I have heard that there are reports of this species from other more distant locations in Tasmania as well. It seems that the range of Mountain Skinks is not all that well known. I only found this species after repeatedly visiting Hartz Mountain National Park. The weather in the southwest of Tasmania is often bad and it took five visits to finally find a day that was clear and warm enough for the skinks to emerge.
... habitat: summit of Hartz Mountain, Hartz Mountain National Park
Mountain Skink (Niveoscincus orocryptis):
Finally, here is the only other species of snow skink to be found on the mainland of Australia. It is not found in Tasmania but I wanted to include it for comparison with the Tassie species.
7. Niveoscincus coventryi
... and its habitat at Lake Mountain, Victoria.
Regards,
David
