Gidgee Skink

The Gidgee skink, also known as Stokes's skink, is a robust, spiny-tailed lizard native to arid and semi-arid regions of central and western Australia. With its heavily armoured body, overlapping keeled scales, and short, spiky tail, it looks almost prehistoric, like a miniature dragon of the desert. Its coloration typically ranges from grey to reddish-brown, often with mottled or speckled patterns that help it blend into rocky outcrops and spinifex-covered terrain.

Unlike many other reptiles, Gidgee skinks are highly social. They often live in close-knit family groups, with juveniles remaining in the same crevice or rock pile with their parents for extended periods. These lizards rely on each other for warmth and protection, and their group dynamics have been compared to those of mammals more than typical solitary reptiles. This social behavior extends to shared basking spots and communal shelters.

Gidgee skinks are diurnal and spend the warmest parts of the day basking in the sun, returning to the safety of rock crevices when temperatures soar or predators approach. Their diet is mostly herbivorous, consisting of flowers, leaves, fruits, and sometimes small insects or invertebrates. They are not particularly fast movers and instead rely on their tough scales and group vigilance to evade predators.

These skinks give birth to live young, usually one or two per breeding cycle, and display parental care, which is rare among reptiles. The young are born fully formed and capable of fending for themselves, but they are often observed staying with their family group, suggesting a complex social structure.

Did You Know?

Gidgee skinks will often barricade themselves inside rock crevices using their spiky tails. They wedge in so tightly that predators can't pull them out, turning their own bodies into living fortresses!