Eulamprus heatwolei

Yellow-bellied Water Skink

Common name: Yellow-bellied Water-skink. SVL 80mm; Total Length 200mm

Yellow-bellied or Heatwole’s Water-skink is one of about fifteen species of water-skink (Egernia) found in Australia. Water-skinks belong to the Sphenomorphus Group of skinks. Three other species are found in the Canberra region, the Alpine Water-skink (E. kosciusko), the Southern Water-skink (E. tympanum), and the Eastern Water-skink (E. quoyii).

Water-skinks are mostly found along waterways, including bogs by the Alpine Water-skink. Rocky areas in and near water are also favoured.

Species are similar in appearance and size with a SVL 80mm and Total length 200mm. The Eastern Water-skink is larger with SVL of 100mm and Total Length of 220.

The Alpine Water-skin has distinctive dorsal (back) and dorsal-lateral (between back and side) stripes. The other species have bronze-brown, with small black flecks, backs.

It is possible to distinguish the Southern from Yellow-bellied Water-skin, as the underparts are whitish in the former and yellowish in the latter. The backs of the Southern Water-skink are sometimes heavily flecked. Sometimes the flecks on the back of the Yellow-bellied Water-skin join to form narrow stripes.

It is possibly to distinguish between the Yellow-bellied and Easter Water-skink as the head of the former is usually spotted or flecked, while the later has a few scattered flecks. Also, the former usually has white spots on its temples and cheeks while the later doesn’t, and the former has a pale streak above the eye to above the ear, the later rarely does.

Distribution: The Alpine Water-skink prefers alpine and high montane areas, the Southern Water-skink prefers lower montane areas, the Yellow-bellied Water-skink prefers intermediate areas between montane and lower areas, and the Eastern Water-skink is mostly confined to coastal areas. Species overlap, Alpine with Southern, Southern with Yellowed-bellied, and Yellow-bellied with Eastern. The Eastern Water-skink is rare in the tablelands and is largely confined to the coast.

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Species information

• Eulamprus heatwolei Scientific name
• Yellow-bellied Water Skink Common name
• Not Sensitive
• Local Native
• Non-Invasive
• 0m to 1619.1m Recorded at altitude
• 307 images trained Machine learning

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Location information

• Maps

  Bendora Reservoir Bimberi Nature Reserve Bondi State Forest Brindabella National Park Bullen Range Corin Reservoir Cotter Reserve Deua National Park (CNM area) Gibraltar Pines Gigerline Nature Reserve Ginninderry Conservation Corridor Googong Foreshore Googong Reservoir Jedbinbilla Jerrabomberra Wetlands Kambah Pool Kosciuszko National Park Lake Burley Griffin Central/East Lake Burley Griffin West Lower Cotter Catchment Lower Molonglo Molonglo Gorge Molonglo River Reserve Monga National Park Mongarlowe River Namadgi National Park National Zoo and Aquarium Old Naas TSR Pine Island to Point Hut Point Hut to Tharwa Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council Sherwood Forest Stony Creek Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve Uriarra Recreation Reserve Woodstock Nature Reserve

• Places

  Acton, ACT Barton, ACT Berlang, NSW Bimberi, NSW Booth, ACT Brindabella, ACT Brindabella, NSW Budawang, NSW Bungendore, NSW Burra, NSW Charleys Forest, NSW Coree, ACT Cotter River, ACT Creewah, NSW Curtin, ACT Denman Prospect, ACT Dunlop, ACT Farringdon, NSW Fyshwick, ACT Gordon, ACT Greenleigh, NSW Greenway, ACT Holt, ACT Karabar, NSW Kingston, ACT Kowen, ACT Krawarree, NSW Molonglo Valley, ACT Molonglo, ACT Monga, NSW Mongarlowe, NSW Mount Clear, ACT Murray Gorge, NSW Numeralla, NSW Paddys River, ACT Pialligo, ACT Pinbeyan, NSW Rendezvous Creek, ACT Rivett, ACT Rockton, NSW Stromlo, ACT Tennent, ACT Tharwa, ACT Tuggeranong DC, ACT Uriarra Village, ACT Uriarra, NSW Wambrook, NSW Winifred, NSW