Pale-flecked Garden Sunskink

About the Pale-flecked Garden Sunskink

The common garden skink (Lampropholis guichenoti) is a small species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to Australia. Additional common names for L. guichenoti include grass skink, Guichenot's grass skink, pale-flecked garden sunskink, and penny lizard.

The specific name, guichenoti, is in honor of French zoologist Antoine Alphonse Guichenot. In Australia, L. guichenoti is often seen in suburban gardens in Adelaide, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney, Canberra and Brisbane, but also is common across most of Southern Australia, Tasmania, and some of New South Wales.

L. guichenoti can grow to a maximum length, including its tail, of 14 cm (5.5 in), but the average total length is 8–10 cm (3.1–3.9 in). The average common garden skink lives for 2–3 years. It usually has a browny black colour and may appear a dark shade of red when bathing in the sun. The lighter its colour, the more energetic it is. It has small sharp teeth which easily slice through smaller prey. Even wild individuals are very docile, and rarely bite humans when touched or picked up.

The female pale-flecked garden sunskink has a yellowish, almost orange... Wikipedia →