Lampropholis delicata
5 Delicate Skink at Belconnen, ACT
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| Lampropholis delicata | WillO | 23 Jan 2022 | |
| Lampropholis delicata | Dora | 23 Jan 2022 |
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User's notes
Mating? Seemed very violent. Think the female lost a hand..
2 comments
23 Jan 2022
Interesting set of photographs - well done. It may well be mating behaviour - early spring breeding and then summer breeding has been observed in other areas. Here is is an abstract from a paper by JMP Joss and JA Minard published in 1985 in the Australian Journal of Zoology 33(5) 699 - 704
"The reproductive cycles of L. delicata and L. guichenoti were investigated in the Sydney region. It was found that L. delicata produces a single clutch of 2-4 eggs per year whereas L. guichenoti can produce two clutches of 2-4 eggs each in years of good rainfall. Males of both species have two periods of spermatogenic activity, providing mature sperm for a spring and a summer mating. Mating follows oviposition in late summer and the females store sperm for fertilizing the eggs ovulated the following spring."
From my observations of small skinks, it seems that during mating the male usually clasps the female by the side of the neck - not by a limb. The loss of the toes (if that is what happened) certainly would be an outcome from a very aggressive encounter. Is it possible that the foot had already lost its toes? (toes can be nibbled off lizards by invertebrates when the lizard is hibernating). Hopefully, other CNM users might have more to add on this topic.
"The reproductive cycles of L. delicata and L. guichenoti were investigated in the Sydney region. It was found that L. delicata produces a single clutch of 2-4 eggs per year whereas L. guichenoti can produce two clutches of 2-4 eggs each in years of good rainfall. Males of both species have two periods of spermatogenic activity, providing mature sperm for a spring and a summer mating. Mating follows oviposition in late summer and the females store sperm for fertilizing the eggs ovulated the following spring."
From my observations of small skinks, it seems that during mating the male usually clasps the female by the side of the neck - not by a limb. The loss of the toes (if that is what happened) certainly would be an outcome from a very aggressive encounter. Is it possible that the foot had already lost its toes? (toes can be nibbled off lizards by invertebrates when the lizard is hibernating). Hopefully, other CNM users might have more to add on this topic.
23 Jan 2022
Hi willO. I have a video but can’t upload it where I can see that he is gripping her very tightly just under her right arm. I think they must be mating. I didn’t see him bite off her foot but it seemed like something he might have done by mistake esp considering it is that side he is biting and the activity of the Union!. She definitely could have lost it some other way though, interesting about the dangers of hibernating.
Location information
- Coordinates 149.072661-35.247336
- Altitude 601.0m
- Places Belconnen, ACT
Sighting information
- 2 Abundance
- 23 Jan 2022 11:50 AM Recorded on
- Dora Recorded by
Collections
- Featured Dora Canberra & Southern Tablelands NatureMapr Lampropholis delicata Skinks Reptiles and Frogs
Species information
- Lampropholis delicata Scientific name
- Delicate Skink Common name
- Not Sensitive
- Local native
- Non-invasive or negligible
- Up to 1377m Recorded at altitude
Record quality
Quality score
6 / 7
- Images or audio
- More than one media file
- Verified by an expert moderator
- Nearby sighting(s) of same species
- GPS evidence of location
- Description
- Additional attributes