Copper Skink

Fascinating facts about the Copper Skink

• The copper skink is New Zealand’s smallest indigenous skink, with a mature snout–vent length of no more than 76 mm (3 in).
• When threatened, the copper skink can shed its tail, a process called caudal autotomy, and later regrow it.
• A 2009 molecular study traced the whole family of New Zealand skinks back to a single ancestor that rode floating debris from New Caledonia during the early Miocene. The copper skink is a living reminder that today’s island fauna began with a chance ocean drift millions of years ago.
• In the early 1980s, about a dozen adult copper skinks were moved from a Tauranga park to a Rotorua suburb with no native population; despite many feral cats, juveniles were still being spotted at the release site as of July 2020. This shows that careful relocations can help the species thrive even in heavily urbanised areas.
• Copper skinks give birth to 3-7 relatively large live young each late summer after mating in spring.

At a glance

About the Copper Skink

The copper skink (Oligosoma aeneum) is New Zealand’s smallest indigenous skink, never exceeding a snout-vent length of 76 mm (3 in). Its smooth, bronze-tinged scales give the species its name, while a pointed tail, often longer than the body, can be shed in a flash of distraction when a predator strikes, only to regrow later through caudal autotomy. Small, round, lidded eyes blink, and the head bears a distinctive midline split of scales and alternating black-white markings on the lower jaw, setting it apart from the invasive rainbow skink. A true generalist, the copper skink thrives from forest understories to suburban gardens, sand dunes and farmland across the North Island, even inhabiting offshore islands such as Great Barrier and Little Barrier. By day it darts over leaf litter hunting insects and other invertebrates, and in the twilight it may still be seen basking on warm stones. Viviparous females mate in spring and give birth to three to seven relatively large young in late summer, a reproductive strategy that helps sustain populations despite predation. Perhaps the most surprising trait is its resilience to urbanisation: despite extensive habitat change, it remains a common sight in Auckland gardens, illustrating an unexpected adaptability in a species once thought to be confined to more pristine habitats.

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