Slight Skink

The slight skink is one of New Zealand’s smallest skinks and is confined to the far north of the Aupouri Peninsula and nearby islands. It is a slender brown skink with a copper side stripe, black-and-white markings along the jaw and reduced legs.

It occurs from the coast to 310 m in northern Aupouri and on islands including Motuopao. It burrows through damp soil and uses invertebrate tunnels, feeding on small leaf-litter animals and fruit.

Slight skink is Threatened — Nationally Endangered (NZ Threat Classification); mammalian predators, pigs and forest or scrub clearance threaten its small range. It is highly secretive; Motuopao holds the only population described as secure, but access is restricted.