| Suter's skink | |
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Sauria |
| Family: | Scincidae |
| Genus: | Oligosoma |
| Species: | O. suteri |
| Binomial name | |
| Oligosoma suteri Boulenger 1906 |
|
Suter's skink, Oligosoma suteri, is the only native skink in New Zealand to lay eggs - hence its other common name, the egg-laying skink. The egg laying Australian rainbow skink also is present in some parts of New Zealand. O. suteri lives on northern offshore islands from the Three Kings Islands to the Alderman Islands where it inhabits the coastal region, often very close to the water. It is known to hunt for prey in rock pools and is a capable swimmer in this situation.
It is named after Henry Suter (1841 – 1918), New Zealand zoologist, naturalist and palaeontologist.