Great desert skink  (Egernia kintorei)

Classified as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List (1).

The great desert skink is a relatively large and robust lizard (3) (4), with the rather cylindrical body, smooth scales and short limbs typical of skinks (5). The rounded, tapering tail is slightly longer than the head and body, and in good seasons becomes swollen at the base with stored fat reserves. The upper surface of the body varies in colour from bright orange-brown to dull brown or light grey, while the underside is yellow, cream or grey (2) (3) (4) (6) (7). The male great desert skink tends to be heavier than the female, with a broader head, and often has blue-grey flanks, whereas in the female and juvenile the flanks are either plain brown or bear orange and cream vertical bars (3) (7).

Once quite widespread across the sandy and gravelly desert regions of central Australia, the great desert skink now has a more patchy and restricted distribution across parts of Western Australia, South Australia and the Northern Territory (2) (3) (4) (7) (8).

This species is found in a variety of desert habitats on sandy, clay and loamy soils (2) (8), typically occurring in sandplains vegetated by spinifex (Triodia spp.) and scattered shrubs, as well as in adjacent dunefields (3) (4) (6) (7) (8). The great desert skink generally prefers areas of habitat that have been burnt within the last 15 years (3) (4).

The great desert skink lives in large, complex burrow systems, up to ten metres in diameter and over a metre in depth, and often with several entrances. It is an unusually social species (9), and the burrows may be occupied by family groups of up to about ten, sometimes for several years in a row. The great desert skink may also take over, adapt and enlarge the burrow of another species, and occupied burrows can be easily identified by large, communal latrines on the surface, where the group regularly defecate (2) (3) (4) (6) (7). The great desert skink feeds on a wide variety of small prey, particularly termites, as well as cockroaches, beetles, spiders, ants, and occasionally small lizards. Flowers, leaves and fruits may also be taken (3) (4) (6) (7). Most foraging takes place in the early evening or at night during the hotter months, and the species may hibernate within special chambers inside the burrow during the cooler months (4) (6).

The female great desert skink gives birth to between one and seven live young between December and February (3) (7). The young skinks have a snout-vent length of around seven to eight centimetres at birth (3) (9), and remain in the burrow with the adults until the second or third year (3) (4) (6). The great desert skink is quite long-lived, and may potentially reach over 20 years in captivity (3).

The great desert skink is a culturally important species for a number of Aboriginal groups, and has also traditionally been an important food source (3) (4). However, since the arrival of Europeans in Australia, an alteration in traditional burning regimes has led to more infrequent but larger, more intense fires, with potentially devastating effects on skink populations. Introduced predators such as cats and foxes are also a threat, while rabbits may dig up the skink’s burrow systems and overgraze its habitat (3) (4) (6) (7) (8), putting further pressure on its already fragmented and declining population. At Yulara (near Uluru) and within Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, increasing tourism development has resulted in skinks abandoning burrows and also being killed on roads, and there are concerns over the effects of water extraction and fire management programs in the area (3).

In 1999, a recovery team of scientists, community groups and Aboriginal organisations was set up to help coordinate conservation efforts for the great desert skink (3) (4), and in 2001 a recovery plan for the species was adopted (3). The great desert skink occurs in a number of protected areas (7) (8), including Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, a World Heritage Site (10), where a long-term monitoring program is underway (4) (8). Further research into the species’ range, populations, ecology and biology has also been recommended. Control of introduced predators is likely to be needed to protect the remaining skink populations, and the development of an appropriate fire management strategy, involving the regular burning of small patches to create a habitat mosaic and to prevent destructive large fires, will also be critical (3) (4) (6) (8), and should additionally benefit many other species (3). Finally, it is likely that the involvement of local communities will be important in the recovery efforts for this large desert skink (3) (6) (8).

View information on this species at the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre.

To find out more about the conservation of the great desert skink see:

• McAlpin, S. (2001) The Recovery Plan for the Great Desert Skink (Egernia kintorei) 2001-2011. Arid Lands Environment Centre, Alice Springs. Available at:
  http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/publications/recovery/great-desert-skink/index.html
• Australian Government: Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts - Australian Threatened Species: Great Desert Skink Egernia kintorei:
  http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/publications/desert-skink.html
• Cogger, H.G., Cameron, E.E., Sadlier, R.A. and Eggler, P. (1993) The Action Plan for Australian Reptiles. Australian Nature Conservation Agency, Canberra. Available at:
  http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/publications/action/reptiles/index.html

For more information on conservation in Australia see:

• Australian Wildlife Conservancy:
  http://www.australianwildlife.org/