Creatures in Crisis
Photograph of Scree skink (Oligosoma waimatense), recorded as Endangered
Scree skink (Oligosoma waimatense). Image via Wikimedia Commons.

Endangered

Scree skink

Oligosoma waimatense

Scree skink is a skink in the family Scincidae — Oligosoma waimatense, recorded as Endangered and tied to New Zealand.

Status
Endangered
Scientific name
Oligosoma waimatense
Recorded from
New Zealand
Taxonomy
Squamata · Scincidae · Oligosoma

The skink

A member of the family Scincidae, it was described by Geoff Patterson in 1997.

Range and habitat

The scree skink is a skink native to several sites throughout the South Island of New Zealand. It favours rocky habitats, particularly greywacke screes.

Pins are Wikidata “endemic to” fields. Orange dots, when present, are GBIF occurrence tiles — survey bias included.

Diet

Most skinks forage in leaf litter or under cover. Burrowing species slip through sand or soil more than they climb.

In crisis

Threats to scree skinks include predation by introduced mammals, weed encroachment, human interference and (for stream bed populations) severe flood events. As of 2012 the Department of Conservation (DOC) classified the scree skink as Nationally Vulnerable under the New Zealand Threat Classification System.

Scree skink is Endangered on this catalog because that is the IUCN category stored on Wikidata. Confirm the official criteria and any later count on iucnredlist.org.

Sources

Written for this catalog from the English Wikipedia article on Scree skink, Wikidata item Q2715510. Family and order context is original field-guide writing about the group, not a copied assessment of this one species. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA. Not an IUCN assessment. Counts, when quoted, can change — confirm them on the recovery programme and on iucnredlist.org.

Photograph via Wikimedia Commons. Wikipedia · Wikidata · IUCN Red List.

Same genus

Photograph of Barrier skink (Oligosoma judgei), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Barrier skink

Oligosoma judgei
Photograph of Oligosoma albornense (Oligosoma albornense), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Oligosoma albornense

Oligosoma albornense
Photograph of Oligosoma awakopaka (Oligosoma awakopaka), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Oligosoma awakopaka

Oligosoma awakopaka
Photograph of Burgan skink (Oligosoma burganae), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Burgan skink

Oligosoma burganae

Quick answers

What is Scree skink?
Scree skink is a skink in the family Scincidae — Oligosoma waimatense.
What is the conservation status of Scree skink?
Endangered, as the IUCN category stored on Wikidata for Oligosoma waimatense. Confirm the official assessment on iucnredlist.org.
Where does Scree skink live?
The scree skink is a skink native to several sites throughout the South Island of New Zealand.
Why is Scree skink in crisis?
Threats to scree skinks include predation by introduced mammals, weed encroachment, human interference and (for stream bed populations) severe flood events.
Is this the IUCN Red List page for Oligosoma waimatense?
No. This is a researched catalog account. The Red List is the assessment.
Is Scree skink a pet?
An animal on this catalog is in crisis in the wild. Keeping one is usually the wrong question.