Corucia zebrata

From a very tiny area, Salmon Islands, including Bougainville.
This giant arboreal skink can reach 80 cm (31 in.) long. It's a nocturnal and vegetarian lizard whose habits are quite unusual. It's ovoviviparous and females can keep the fecund eggs in their abdomen (generally one, hardly two) until the young hatches, 6 or 9 months later. So, the female has her "baby" once a year, or even every two years. Moreover, the "mother" protects her baby for several months (which is quite unusual among saurians). Adults and young live in a close family.


We have three "families", about a dozen of lizards, and we regularly have hatchlings. Seeing the small number of hatchlings, we do not sell these lizards.