Meet Our Animals

Monkey Tailed Skink or Prehensile Tailed Skink

Corucia zebrata

Names and Personal History
Goliath: He was acquired from Haight and Cole Street neighbors who were moving to New Zealand to start a bed and breakfast.

Native Habitat
Monkey Tailed Skinks can only be found in the Solomon Islands.

Environment
Monkey Tailed Skinks inhabit tropical rain forest. The preferred daytime temperature ranges between 75-85 degrees Fahrenheit and 70-75 degrees Fahrenheit at night. Humidity is over 70% as a rule. Tropical forests, lowlands or higher elevations. Can be crepuscular (active in the twilight) or nocturnal. They are almost completely arboreal.

Physical Characteristics
Monkey-Tailed Skinks are green and scaly, with long toes and a long tail for climbing. The Prehensile-tailed Skink is ovoviviparous (live bearing). They have a relatively long gestation period, which lasts six to seven months. Female Prehensile-tailed Skinks give birth to one to two offspring at a time. The young stay close to the parent, though the parent does not directly protect them. Unlike other lizards, Prehensile-tailed Skinks do not have the capability to break off their tails when caught by predators since their tail is used as an extra appendage. Due to over-harvesting for use as pets, the Monkey Tailed Skink is listed as an endangered species by CITES.

Diet
Prehensile-tailed Skinks are mainly vegetarian. They love fresh fruit and are possibly the only animal to eat the Solomon Island Creeper or Pothos as it is known here in Garden Stores.