Resting

He may appear to be snoozing with his chin on his tail, but he was very alert, reacting to every move I made. At first he made to escape behind the driftwood into the dark interior of the sprawling curry plant. However, I stood still for a long time and he ventured back. I could see the rapid pulsating of a small area of his side as he breathed.  There was no way I could get closer so I took a long shot and cropped it.

This spot is 30 or 40 cms from the place where the praying mantis nymphs wait for prey. It is nearly a week since I saw them all at once. I’m sure they go down into the bush for shelter and if this fellow is living down there then I might not see them all again.

Common skink, Oligosoma nigriplantare, endemic to New Zealand.