Description:
Scientific name: Corucia zebrata
Life span: Over 15 years
The Solomon Island Skink is one of the many names for the Monkey-Tailed Skink, also known as the Prehensile-Tailed Skink. The largest species of skink is the Tailed Skink. When fully mature, they can grow to be 32 inches long, with the tail making up half of that. The skink can climb by using its prehensile tail, which can wrap around objects like tree branches. Moreover, they have long bodies and short, strong, powerful legs.
They have dark brown or black markings on their dark green scales. A monkey-tailed skink’s underbelly is either light green or yellow. In order to aid with climbing, they also develop long, thick toenails.
Native Region/Habitat
Native to the Pacific Ocean’s Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea, northeast of Australia, are prehensile-tailed skinks. Tropical rainforests are the natural habitat for these arboreal lizards.
Behavior:
Pronged-tailed skinks hide out in tree hollows and amid branches during the day. They are active early in the morning, early in the evening, and possibly even late at night. They walk slowly among the trees as they eat fruit and foliage. The Solomon Island creeper plant is one of their favorites.
Care As a pet/In captivity:
Enclosure: The enclosure needs to be at least 5′ H x 3′ W x 6′ L in size. It’s fine if the area is bigger because it provides them more room to go around. To avoid illness and infection, the tank must be kept immaculately clean. To guarantee that the right humidity levels are maintained, the majority of enclosures are built from wood, mesh, and plexiglass. An extremely active and inquisitive reptile is the monkey-tailed skink. Their habitat ought to be full of objects they may climb and bury themselves in.
Heating (Temperature & Humidity): A Monkey-Tailed Skink’s habitat should maintain an average temperature of between 75 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. If the temperature exceeds 85 degrees Fahrenheit, they are susceptible to overheating. Also, a high degree of humidity must be maintained. In their enclosure, the humidity should always be at least 60% or greater.
Feeding: While occasionally consuming insects or small animals in the wild, this Tailed Skink is a herbivore. Your monkey-tailed skink needs a range of fruits and vegetables while it is in captivity. Fresh leafy greens like spinach, lettuce, kale, and other varieties should make up the bulk of your diet. Green beans, roasted squash, carrots, broccoli, maize, and peas are just a few of the vegetables they enjoy. Fruits should occasionally be offered. Apples, bananas, peaches, mangoes, kiwis, and papaya are all healthy fruit options..
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