Odatria_14_NOV13 - Victorian Herpetological Society

winter period. At this time Cunninghams have access tofresh standing water only.After cooling, temperatures return to the normal summerregime and feeding resumes.Generally, within the first week after cooling (particularlyon warm days), mating will occur. Males pursue thefemales in an effort to grasp their necks and positionthem for mating (Brown, 2012). If the female is notready to mate she will run from the male (Brown, 2012;Greenwood, personal communication, 2008) and he mayinadvertently bite and hold on to any part of the femalewhich passes him, including the female’s head, legs,toes or tail (personal observation). Injuries including theloss of digits may result. Side biting can also commonlybe observed, male to female, which may be an attemptby the male to dominate the female and prepare her formating. Shown below is a courtship routine between two(southern Victorian) Cunningham skinks which consistedof individuals circling one another and tongue flicking thebase of each other’s tails.Gravid females, or females and their partners, are removedfrom shared enclosures, as other colony members or otherspecies may attack newborns (personal observation). Thegestation period for the Cunningham’s skink is generallybetween 3 and four months (Fyfe, as cited in Swan,2008).Cunningham’s skinks give birth to between two to six liveyoung during summer (Swan and Goodall, 2010; Swan,2008; Stow, Sunnucks, Briscoe, & Gardner, 2001). Theaverage litter size is reported to be four (Swanson, 2007).Hatchings will immediately eat their afterbirth /placenta(Brown, 2012) and should appear active, alert and wellco-ordinated.Newborn - with placenta and part of birth membrane,alongside mother, southern Vic form‘Courtship - sequence’ female left, male on rightNewborn covered with birth-membrane/sac, southern Vic formMale top, female belowFemale top, male below14Newborn - southern Vic form, eating placenta