Long-toed Skink

The long-toed skink is a slender South Island skink named for its unusually long toes and tail. It has never been well studied, and most records are decades old. The back is grey-brown with pale and dark flecks and the belly is grey, often speckled darker. The very long toes and tail separate it from other New Zealand skinks.

It lives on scree slopes and rocky river terraces in inland south Marlborough and north Canterbury. It is thought to be fairly widespread, with some reasonably large populations.

Long-toed skink is Data Deficient (NZ Threat Classification). It was listed as Threatened — Nationally Vulnerable in 2021 but was moved in the 2025 assessment because recent records are very scarce, which may simply reflect little search effort. There is no regular viewing site. Records come mostly from surveys of dry, rocky high-country habitat in inland Marlborough.