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Prehensile-tailed Skink
Fast Facts
What do they look like?
Prehensile-tailed skinks are large lizards, growing up to 30 inches long. They are quite
unlike other skinks. This species has relatively large, powerful legs and a prehensile tail,
as its name suggests. They have long toes equipped with razor-sharp claws. These
adaptations contribute to the completely arboreal lifestyle these reptiles live. Their heads
are broad and wedge-shaped. They have powerful jaws lined with small but sharp teeth.
Their color ranges through different shades of green, with their heads slightly more yellow
in hue. The species name, zebrata, refers to the reptile’s marbled striped coloration, like
that of a zebra.
How do they behave?
Common Name: Prehensile-Tailed
Skink, Monkey-Tail Skink, Solomon
Island Tree Skink
Scientific Name: Corucia zebrata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Scincidae
Range: Solomon Islands
Unlike most reptiles, prehensile-tailed skinks often live in a social group called a circulus.
Males and females are both territorial and will protect their family group. They are
primarily nocturnal, using their exceptional camouflage to remain undetected while at rest
during the day. They rely heavily on their sense of smell to forage for food at night.
Prehensile-tailed skinks obtain the majority of their water needs through their diet and
rarely climb down to the ground to drink.
What’s on the menu?
Also unique to this species, as most other skinks are omnivorous, they are entirely
herbivorous. They feed on leaves, flowers, and fruit of the trees they live in. Juvenile
skinks often eat feces from adults in their circulus to acquire essential bacteria that aids
them in digesting their fibrous diet. At the Zoo, they eat fruit, vegetables, and greens.
How are they born?
Prehensile-tailed skinks are viviparous, which means they give birth to live young.
Females have a relatively long gestation period of six to eight months. A single neonate
(newborn), occasionally twins, is born roughly one third the size of its mother. Juveniles
will stay with the circulus for least several months, often up to one year, before venturing
out to start a new family group. During this time, adults in the circulus, even those not
related, protect the young.
What should you know about them?
Habitat: Rainforests
Lifespan: 15-20 years
Conservation Status: May become
threatened (CITES Appendix II)
Extensive logging in the Solomon Islands has become a threat to the long-term survival of
this species. Hunting by indigenous people of the islands and pet trade exports also
threaten wild populations. In recent years, prehensile-tailed skinks have been listed
under CITES appendix II, indicating that the species may become threatened. The
exportation of this species from the Solomon Islands is now prohibited in efforts to keep
the population stable.
What can you do to help?
If you are considering a prehensile-tailed skink as a pet, make sure you buy only captive
bred animals from a reputable breeder. Also, you can buy wood that is sustainably
harvested, coffee that is shade grown, and produce that is grown locally. These products
do not require the destruction of rainforest land to grow crops.