Monkey Tailed Skink

(Corucia zebrata)

The head of the monkey tailed skink is large and flat with small eyes. These large skinks range in color from dark green to a near black. Black, yellow, and shades of various greens decorate the back, tail, and belly in random spots or stripes. Their scales are smooth and flat. They have a short tongue that is broad, flat and fleshy. These skinks have large powerful claws and a long prehensile tail, which enables them to sustain a rich arboreal life. They are the only skinks with a prehensile tail, meaning it can be wrapped around branches for balance.

Monkey tailed skinks are native only to the Solomon Islands, an archipelago in the Pacific Ocean located northeast of Australia. They are rainforest animals that live in tall trees.

The prehensile-tailed skink is almost exclusively herbivorous, eating fruits and vegetables, however they will consume the occasional insect.

Information collected from <a href=”https://www.elmwoodparkzoo.org/animal/prehensile-tailed-skink/
“>https://animalia.bio/rhinoceros-iguana?taxonomy=17</a>