McCann's skink facts for kids

Quick facts for kids McCann’s skink
Scientific classification
Genus:	Oligosoma
Species:	maccanni

The McCann's skink (Oligosoma maccanni) is a type of skink, a small lizard, that lives only in New Zealand. These skinks are known for their unique features and how they adapt to their environment.

What Does It Look Like?

McCann's skinks have a few special features that help you identify them. They have an oval-shaped body, a pointed head, and a long tail that gets thinner towards the end. Their legs and toes are also quite long.

Their skin is shiny and has two light-colored lines along their sides. The brown stripe on their back does not go all the way to the end of their tail. You might see small dark spots only under their chin. They also have a clear, pale stripe along their sides.

These skinks have a slim body, and their neck is almost as wide as their head. The bottoms of their feet and their belly are creamy-grey, yellow, or brown. Their throat often has tiny black speckles. Scientists found that this skink has a clear "window" on its lower eyelid, made of small, rectangular scales. This lets them see even when their eyes are closed!

The main color of a McCann's skink's body is grey-brown with smooth patterns of brown stripes. Some even have grey spots along these stripes, which can look like a herringbone pattern.

Interestingly, McCann's skinks can look a bit different depending on where they live. For example, those in Canterbury often have stripes, while those in Otago might have speckles. Scientists think these patterns might help them hide from birds that hunt by sight.

Where Do They Live?

Global Home

Oligosoma maccanni are endemic to New Zealand. This means they are found naturally nowhere else in the world.

New Zealand Home

Within New Zealand, McCann's skinks live in the South Island. You'll mostly find them in the southeastern parts, including the regions of Marlborough, Canterbury, Otago, and Southland. They are found mostly inland, but also near the coast in Otago and the Banks Peninsula areas.

Preferred Habitat

McCann's skinks love coastal areas or places with lots of rocks. They hide in small cracks between rocks to stay safe from predators. They also use rocks to warm up by absorbing heat from them during the day.

If there aren't many rocks, they will hide in low-growing plants like herbs and shrubs. For example, they might choose spiky plants like Aciphylla species, whose long, sharp leaves offer great protection. In coastal Canterbury, some skinks even use marram grass, which helps them connect their homes in places like Kaikorete Spit with other dune plants.

These skinks prefer open areas, including native and introduced grasslands and shrublands. They like shrubs that have many branches, like Discaria toumatoua, Coprosma propinqua, and Muehlenbeckia astonii. Because they can live in many different types of places, their population is less likely to be at risk.

Life Cycle and Reproduction

Mating and Breeding

McCann's skinks are viviparous, which means they give birth to live young instead of laying eggs. This is a special adaptation for lizards that live in cooler places like New Zealand. New Zealand lizards often live a long time, take a while to become adults, and have fewer babies at a time.

Their embryos (baby skinks developing inside the mother) grow slowly for the first three months. Female skinks usually breed once a year in spring and summer. Their pregnancy lasts about 4–5 months. Sometimes, fewer babies are born if not all eggs are fertilized. Male skinks mate in autumn, and the female stores the sperm for several months until spring when her eggs are ready.

Young McCann's Skinks

Young McCann's skinks are usually born in late January and February in Central Otago. However, studies at Kaitorete Spit showed they can be born from early December to February. Most new babies are born in mid-December and late January.

These young skinks have a relatively large "home range" (the area they live in), about 8 square meters. Because of this, they might act aggressively towards other lizards to protect their space.

Daily Activity

McCann's skinks are active during the day. They are diurnal predators, meaning they hunt in daylight. They keep their bodies warm by soaking up the sun's rays. Their activity is highest in the early morning when they search for different insects and fruits to eat.

What Do They Eat and Who Eats Them?

Diet and Foraging

McCann's skinks are dietary generalists. This means they can eat a wide variety of foods and live in different environments. They especially like eating true bugs (Hemiptera) and spiders (Araneae). Since they are active during the day, insects are a very important part of their diet.

Skinks living in Central Otago mainly eat insects, followed by spiders and some fruits. They have also been seen eating other skinks and dead animals, but they usually avoid eating ants. They also enjoy eating the fleshy fruits from branched shrubs like Discaria toumatoua, Coprosma propinqua, and Muehlenbeckia astonii.

Predators and Parasites

Predators: Introduced Mammals

Mammals that have been brought to New Zealand, like cats, stoats, and hedgehogs, are a big threat to native skinks. If these predators were controlled, the number of small lizards, including McCann's skinks, would likely increase.

Birds like swamp harriers, Australian magpies, little owls, and blackbirds also hunt lizards. Studies of hedgehog diets show that McCann's skinks make up a small part of what hedgehogs eat. Even though it's a small percentage, hedgehogs can still have a big impact because there are so many of them compared to cats and mustelids (like stoats). In fact, the number of young McCann's skinks goes down when there are more hedgehogs.

In Central Otago, one wild cat was found to have eaten 49 skinks! Stoats also prey on skinks sometimes. Even mice eat Oligosoma skinks during some autumn and early winter months.

Parasites: Odontacarus Mites

McCann's skinks can host at least two types of tiny parasites called Odontacarus prostigmata and Odontacarus leeuwenhoekiidae mites. These mites attach to the skinks during their adult stage.

Other Interesting Facts

Cultural Importance

In New Zealand, lizards, or ngarara, are very important to the indigenous Māori people. They are seen as treasures because they are linked to death and the underworld in Māori beliefs.

Conservation Status

As of 2012, the Department of Conservation (DOC) has classified the McCann's Skink as a "Non Threatened" species. This means that, for now, their population is large and stable under the New Zealand Threat Classification System.

Name Origin

The McCann's skink is named after a zoologist named Charles McCann (1899-1980). He was the first person to make changes to how New Zealand lizards were classified.

These skinks have had their scientific name changed a few times. When first identified, they were part of a larger group. Later, in 1990, scientists Patterson and Daugherty reclassified them as Oligosoma maccanni, which is their current scientific name.

A Good Lizard for Study

Because McCann's skinks give birth to live young and the embryos develop inside the mother, they are a good species to study. Like another skink, Oligosoma nigriplantare, it's thought that McCann's skinks might develop a placenta to nourish their embryos. Since they breed every year and their pregnancy lasts a similar amount of time, they are a great model for scientists to learn how to help other threatened lizard species reproduce.