LITTORAL WHIPTAIL-SKINK

Photographed on Ugar (Stephen) Island, Torres Straits, March 2020

152             LITTORAL WHIPTAIL-SKINK               Emoia atrocostata

AUSTRALIAN LIZARDS              107     

Also known as Mangrove Skink or Littoral Skink. Found on rocky shorelines and in foreshore vegetation, including mangrove forests; swims in tidal pools. Widespread in Japan, through south-east Asia and into south-west Pacific; tip of Cape York and Torres Strait Islands.

MANGROVE MONITOR

Photographed on Boigu Island, Torres Straits, March 2020

  

151               MANGROVE MONITOR               Varanus indicus

AUSTRALIAN LIZARDS                 106

Also known as Mangrove Goanna or Western Pacific Monitor Lizard. Distributed from northern Australia and New Guinea to the Moluccas, Soloman Islands, Marshall Islands, Caroline Islands and Mariana Islands. An opportunistic carnivore, feeding on the eggs of reptiles and birds, mollusks, rodents, insects, crabs, smaller lizards, fish and carrion. The only monitor capable of catching fish in deep water.

SPINIFEX DELMA

152                    SPINIFEX DELMA              Delma butleri

AUSTRALIAN LIZARDS              106

Also known as Unbanded Delma. Found in southern half of WA, through SA and nw Victoria to interior of NSW. Variety of habitats ranging from hummock grasslands to arid Acacia scrubs, mallee and savannah woodlands; found commonly in spinifex.

WOOD GECKO

Photographed in Big Desert State Forest, Victoria, January 2020

149              EASTERN STONE GECKO             Diplodactylus vittatus

AUSTRALIAN LIZARD               104

Also known as Wood Gecko. Found across southern SA to Victoria, NSW and south-east Queensland. Inhabits wide variety of habitats from arid scrubs to wet sclerophyll forest. Terrestrial, usually found during day in or under fallen timber, stones and litter.

COMMON DWARF SKINK

Photographed in Big Desert State Forest, Victoria, January 2020

148                 COMMON DWARF SKINK               Menetia greyii

AUSTRALIAN LIZARDS                 103

Also referred to as Grey Skink. Widespread in dry areas on a variety of soils and open vegetation types. Found across most of mainland Australia except northern, eastern and south-eastern perimeters. Diurnal, often seen in leaf-litter or grasses.

COMMON NOBBI DRAGON

Photographed in Big Desert State Forest, Victoria, January 2020

147                COMMON NOBBI DRAGON                  Diporiphora nobbi 

AUSTRALIAN LIZARD                 102

Sometimes just known as Nobbi. From north-west Victoria and adjacent border regions of SA, through southern inland areas of NSW to south-east Queensland, then to coastal north-east Queensland. Found in mallee/spinifex associations in se SA and nw Victoria; dry sclerophyll forest, woodlands and rainforest on coast.

EASTERN ROBUST SLIDER

Photographed in Big Desert State Forest, Victoria, January 2020

146                EASTERN ROBUST SLIDER             Lerista punctatovittata

AUSTRALIAN LIZARD              101

Found in south-eastern SA, through north-western Victoria and inland NSW to southern interior of Queensland. Burrowing lizard usually found only after rain in surface layers of moist soil under logs and stones; wide variety of habitat from dry sclerophyll forest and mulga and mallee scrubs to savannah woodland.