Cunningham's spiny-tailed skink
Cunningham's spiny-tailed skink or Cunningham's skink ("Egernia cunninghami)" is a species of large skink, a lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is native to southeastern Australia. Etymology. Both the specific name, "cunninghami", and the common name, Cunningham's spiny-tailed skink, are in honour of English botanist and explorer Allan Cunningham. Description. "E. cunninghami" can reach up to 40 cm (16 inches) in total length (including tail), and may be confused with the blue-tongued lizards (Genus "Tiliqua"). Cunningham's spiny-tailed skink has a distinctive keel on each scale, which  gives it a slightly spiny appearance. It is extremely variable in colour, ranging from dark brown to black, with or without blotchy patches, speckles, or narrow bands. Habitat. "E. cunninghami" prefers to live communally in the crevices of rocky outcrops or hollow logs. Diet. Cunningham's spiny-tailed skink is a diurnal omnivore, with its diet including insects, flowers, berries, fungi, leaves and young shoots. Conservation status. There is currently research being done on the isolated population of Cunnibngham's skink that inhabits the southern Mount Lofty Ranges in South Australia. This population is considered vulnerable due to the fragmented  (disjunct) distribution of the "colonies". There is evidence that at least one of these colonies has totally disappeared. It is more common within suitable habitat along the southeastern coast and ranges of Australia. Reproduction. Like some other reptiles, "E. cunninghami" is viviparous, giving birth to six or more live young in a litter. Inbreeding avoidance. Habitat fragmentation can affect a species population by disrupting core processes. One such process is inbreeding avoidance (avoiding inbreeding depression). The impact of habitat alteration (deforestation) on inbreeding was studied in the rock-dwelling Australian lizard "Egernia cunninghami". Such populations in deforested areas experience potentially  inbreeding-enhancing factors such as reduced dispersal and increased relatedness. However, active avoidance of close kin as mates was observed, as indicated by the substantially lower relatedness in actual breeding pairs compared to potential ones expected if there were random mating. This finding, as well as heterozygous excesses in immature lizards from disturbed (as well as undisturbed) habitats indicated that it maintains outbreeding in the face of increased accumulation of relatives.