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The Common Garden Skink or Pale-flecked Garden Sunskink (Lampropholis guichenoti) is a small common skink often seen in suburban gardens in Melbourne, Australia, but is common across most of Southern Australia. It grows to a maximum of 14 cm, but rarely exceeds 9 cm. It lays its eggs in communal clutches. Like most other skinks, the tail will drop if grasped roughly. The tail then twitches vigorously for a while, to hold the attention of the predator while the lizard makes its escape. Garden skinks rely purely on the movement of their prey when hunting. if their prey is not moving, they will not see it as edible and will not strike. When hunting, the skinks will either hide and wait for prey to come by or actively pursue it (this depends on how hungry they are). Once they have caught their prey, they shake it around vigourously to kill it before swallowing it whole. Once they have had one meal, they begin to actively persue prey with their newfound energy. The skinks only need one prey item per 4 or 5 days, but will eat every day if conditions are good.
