Meet the Cunningham's skink
Cunningham's skink is a big, chunky lizard covered in sharply keeled scales that form spiny ridges from the neck to the tip of the tail. Colour varies with region: northern animals tend to be brown or reddish, while southern ones are darker and more strongly patterned.
When danger threatens it dashes into a rock crevice and gulps air, swelling its body so the spiny scales lock it in place. This makes it extremely hard for a predator to drag out.
These skinks are social and live in groups around rock outcrops, which means more eyes watching for predators. Females give birth to live young, from 1 to 11 per litter, and young may stay near their parents for some time. Genetic studies show the species is largely monogamous and avoids mating with close relatives.
John Edward Gray described the species in 1832 and named it after Allan Cunningham, the botanist and explorer who collected the original specimen in the Blue Mountains.
Where it lives
Temperate south-eastern Australia on both sides of the Great Dividing Range, from south-eastern Queensland through New South Wales to Victoria, with an isolated population in South Australia's Mount Lofty Ranges and Fleurieu Peninsula.