RANGE | The only place these lizards are found is the Solomon Islands, a sovereign state in Oceania and east of Papua New Guinea that consists of nearly one thousand islands.

FUN FACTS | The prehensile-tailed is the largest of all the known skinks.They have lots of different names- including monkey-tailed skink, giant skink, zebra skink. Their tail is strong enough to grasp and hold on to branches and other objects, acting as a fifth limb when they are climbing in trees, as a safety net to catch them if they slip, and as a repelling rope to hang from. These herbivorous lizards are one of the few species of reptiles known to foundation within a social group, called circulus. They are viviparous which means they give birth to live young. Both males and females are known to be territorial and will go to great lengths to protect their family.

These lizards are crepuscular, meaning awake at dusk and dawn. Unlike most skinks, these lizards are arboreal so spend almost their entire life in the trees. Extensive logging is a serious threat to the survival of this species. Consumption for food by inidigenous Islanders and excessive pet trade exports has affected wild populations.

Uncle Fester and Lurch were illegally smuggled into the US, and seized at the San Francisco airport. Two men had stolen 12 lizards from the rainforests on the Solomon Islands, the only place these lizards can be found in the wild. The men planned to bring home to sell them, but knowing this was illegal, they had to be very sneaky. They each duct taped 6 lizards to their t-shirts, which they hid under their sweatshirts as they boarded their plane back to the US. During the long flight, the lizards started to move, biting and scratching to get free, which caught the attention of the other passengers. When the plane landed, the men were arrested. Unfortunately, only two of the twelve lizards survived the trip and they were in pretty bad shape. They were taken to a veterinarian hospital to recover. Realizing the pair would require ongoing medical care, they contacted us.

As a result of being taped down so tightly, Uncle Fester’s spine was broken and the other lizard is missing toes on front and back feet. They both have respiratory issues from being unable to breathe during transit and, intermittently, require antibiotics. When they arrived, we were told that they were at least 4–5 years old, based on their size, and may live another 4–5 years. That was back in 2000, so it seems they got the math wrong!

Uncle Fester is more likely to engage with new enrichment right away, while Lurch takes a bit longer, more likely to sit in his hanging ferret bed, watching and waiting first, before making his move.

SPECIAL NEEDS | Both skinks have had to be periodically treated with antibiotics over the years for chronic breathing issues.

For reptiles, it is all about texture. These lizards love to crawl over stuffed and plastic toys, especially appreciating items with openings that he can travel through or crawl in and under. He also really enjoys different toddler learning toys since these items often have different shapes and textures on blocks, beads and balls that move on plastic coated wires or frames that make it even more interesting and challenging as well as small bath toys that float in their pools. He really likes different surfaces for lounging and even hanging ferret beds and stuffed animals. His favorite is his stuffed Rocky-the-flying-squirrel stuffed animal!