Creatures in Crisis
Photograph of Small-eared skink (Oligosoma stenotis), recorded as Endangered
Small-eared skink (Oligosoma stenotis). Image via Wikimedia Commons.

Endangered

Small-eared skink

Oligosoma stenotis

The small-eared skink is found only on Stewart Island/Rakiura, New Zealand.

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

Appearance

It is a moderately small (80 mm snout to vent) skink, that lives in one of the most inhospitable (to lizards) environments on earth.

It was first described in 1994 by Geoff Patterson and Charles Daugherty.

Range and habitat

The small-eared skink is found only on Stewart Island/Rakiura, New Zealand.

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

Small-eared 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 Small-eared skink — often a short stub, Wikidata item Q3012676. 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 Small-eared skink?
The small-eared skink is found only on Stewart Island/Rakiura, New Zealand.
What is the conservation status of Small-eared skink?
Endangered, as the IUCN category stored on Wikidata for Oligosoma stenotis. Confirm the official assessment on iucnredlist.org.
Where does Small-eared skink live?
The small-eared skink is found only on Stewart Island/Rakiura, New Zealand.
Why is Small-eared skink in crisis?
It is Endangered on Wikidata. Read the official Red List assessment for the criteria.
Is this the IUCN Red List page for Oligosoma stenotis?
No. This is a researched catalog account. The Red List is the assessment.
Is Small-eared skink a pet?
An animal on this catalog is in crisis in the wild. Keeping one is usually the wrong question.