Copper-tailed Skink

Images ©:
©David De Angelis

Ctenotus taeniolatus


Body is brown above with a black vertral stripe with a pale edge. Side of body black with bold white mid-lateral and lower lateral stripes.Tail often has orange or red flush. Top of head is patterned with pale streaks. Up to 7.7 cm in body length.


Details
Type
Reptile
Group
Other Common Names
Striped Skink, Tailed Skink
Biology

Oviparous (egg laying) with a single clutch. Mating occurs in spring, with females laying one to seven eggs in summer.

Distinctive Markings

Long limbs. Long tail. Light and dark striped down the body.

Taxonomy
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Reptilia
Order
Squamata
Family
Scincidae
Genus
Ctenotus
Species
taeniolatus

The Copper-tailed Skink is seen during the day when there is sufficient warmth for foraging. They often shelter in burrows under rock slabs on sandy soil.


Interesting Facts
Diet

Carnivore, insects (butterfly and beetle larvae, grasshoppers and ants)

Habitat

Found in woodland, coastal and sandstone heaths.

Native Status
Native to Australia