Appearance:
The Blue Mountains Water Skink is fairly long-bodied and slender lizard. It can reach sizes up to 200 millimeters and weigh up to ten grams. It's scales have a shimmery shine to them, with long stripes along its back and a multitude of pale yellow spots throughout the length of it's body. It also has a light underbelly, which contrasts against the darker scales on top.
Taxonomy:
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Scincidae
Genus: Eulamprus
Species: Eulamprus leuraensis
Ecology:
Habitat:
This rare skink is located only in the swamps in and around the Blue Mountains and Newnes Plateau of Australia.They have been sighted making homes of burrowing holes made by other creatures but its regular home of choice in its environment is unknown.
Food:
The Blue Mountains Water Skink feeds on small and common invertebrates around the swamps it
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lives in. They feed on invertebrates such as flies and grasshoppers, along with other flying insects. Behavior: Though not much is known about this skink, it has been observed to flee into surrounding vegetation if it's disturbed.
They are semi-aquatic lizards and like to bask in the sun. In the winter they will hibernate and if the swamp they usually reside in becomes temporarily unsuitable, either from flooding or cold, they are observed to temporarily reside in surrounding forests before returning to the swamps.
Reproduction:
The specifics of the skinks mating behavior and habitats during breeding season is unknown. They have a low fecundity, with one to five skinks born in a litter, with one litter born per year. The skinks are born in December (December, January, and February being the Australian summer months) and because they are ovoviviparous they give birth to live young rather than eggs that would hatch outside the body.
Distribution:
Though there are areas where it is known that skinks reside in the Blue Mountains and the Newnes Plateau, the skink is thought to also live in a range around one to ten kilometers (up to six miles) outwards of areas where it is commonly sighted.
Population: Since there is little information available about the skink, a specific population size is unavailable. However, as of 2001 there was 30 established populations, while in 2010 there has been an estimated 40 populations in and around the Blue Mountains and Newnes Plateau. Status: The Blue Mountains Water Skink is listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. It is also protected under Australia's Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act. Reasons for Decline: The skink is on the decline mainly because of human actions. The use of fertilizers, chemical dumping, sedimentation, habitat degradation from land development and creation of walking trails, water drainage from mining, stormwater runoff, runoff from roads, fragmentation, predation by domestic and feral cats, human-caused fires, pollution, and climate change are common threats by humans. Threats that are not attributed to human activities include the growth of weeds and vegetation that overtake the swamps where skinks live in, droughts, and wildfires. The skink is very easily affected by minor activities because it is only located in a small and particular area of Australia. It is also isolated and cannot travel far away from the swamps they live in. Populations of skinks in the Newnes Plateau and the Blue Mountains have been isolated from each other for millions of years because of the skinks inability to travel to new and faraway destinations. Protection Measures: The Blue Mountains Water Skink is protected under Australia law. Specific actions include the State Forests of New South Wales maintaining runoff and maintaining a portion of the skinks habitat to ensure proper water flow in the swamp. There has also been management of human-caused fires. Actions have been taken to inform the surrounding communities of the Blue Mountain Water Skink. There have been leaflets given to communities to inform them of the damage caused by domestic and feral cats. The leaflets have info on how to be a more responsible cat owner and to neuter cats so they don't increase and demolish the skink populations. A brochure made by the Department of Environment and Conservation also has information on how to help the skinks. It lists that homeowners could reduce fertilizer use, plant non-invasive species, keep cats inside, and walk around a swamp and instead of through it. Recovery: Because the Blue Mountains Water Skink is so rare and so little information is available it is currently unknown what rates their populations may be increasing or declining. Mentioned earlier under "Populations" is that there were around 10 more populations discovered over the course of 9 years but this does not indicate that the skink population rate is rising as they were simply unknown. Though not much is known specifically, the large amounts of threats facing the skink along with the skinks low fecundity and extremely limited habitat size do not leave it with a positive outlook for future population sizes.
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Marchant, S. and P.J. Higgins. Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds. Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1990. Name Unknown.
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