Southern Grass Skink

We are all feeling a little jaded today.

I tried to take Mishka for a walk this afternoon, but she wasn't at all keen, so I went up to the top of the ridge, and went for a wander in the park on my own.  Hundreds of butterflies around and I had a bit of fun with myself identifying them by flight.  I still think the most beautiful to watch is the Dainty Swallowtail.  Their flight is dreamy and slow, but they don't stop for a second.  Very hard to photograph.

This is a southern grass skink; very very common, but very very hard to spot.  It's an interesting little critter, absolutely harmless.

I was lucky enough to get close; generally they move like lightening,

Here's some really interesting (I think) data on it.

The southern grass skink (Pseudemoia entrecasteauxii) is a skink endemic to Australia, where it is found in the south-east of the continent, as well as in Tasmania and the islands of Bass Strait. Although it occurs in a variety of habitats, it is most commonly found in open grassy woodlands.

Southern grass skinks have a lifespan of about 5 or 6 years. They grow up to 7.5 cm in length (not including the tail). Male skinks change colouration during the breeding season.

Reproductive biology
The southern grass skink has become a model species for reproductive biology in reptiles because it gives birth to live young and exhibits non-invasive epitheliochorial placentation. Unlike other live bearing reptiles, Pseudemoia develop complex placentae, which provide a substantial amount of nutrients to the embryo through pregnancy.

The amount of nutrients provided is depends on the amount of food females consume during pregnancy, and, unlike other live-bearing reptiles, scarcity of food during pregnancy can cause developmental failure. When food is limiting, females will also cannibalize their offspring. Together, these results suggest that placental nutrient transport may only be a successful mode of reproduction if food is abundant throughout pregnancy, which may limit its opportunities to evolve in some reptiles. Lipid transport in this species most likely occurs through the yolk sac placenta and is facilitated in part by the production of the protein lipoprotein lipase.

The first observation of an extra-uterine pregnancy in a reptile was found in this species. The extra-uterine embryo did not invade maternal tissue, suggesting fundamental differences between the nature and evolution of placentation in southern grass skinks and eutherian mammals.