Observations supporting parental care by a viviparous reptile: aggressive behaviour against predators demonstrated by Cunningham’s skinks
Gregory S. Watson
A C , David W. Green B and Jolanta A. Watson A
A School of Science and Engineering, University of the Sunshine Coast, Fraser Coast, Hervey Bay,Qld 4655, Australia.
B School of Metallurgy and Materials, Healthcare Technologies Institute, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK.
C Corresponding author. Email: gwatson1@usc.edu.au
Australian Journal of Zoology 67(3) 180-183 https://doi.org/10.1071/ZO20024
Submitted: 30 April 2020 Accepted: 17 August 2020 Published: 2 September 2020
Abstract
Most reptiles exhibit no parental care and aggressive behaviour towards heterospecific predators has rarely been recorded in the natural environment. Several species of the subfamily Egerniinae are amongst the most highly social of all squamate reptiles, exhibiting stable social aggregations and high levels of long-term social and genetic monogamy. We have examined Cunningham’s skinks, Egernia cunninghami, over a three-year period during late January and early February (total 32 days) in the alpine region of New South Wales using video and thermal imaging. Four birthing sessions were witnessed during our field studies of social aggregations of skinks. Our observations monitored skink encounters, in the presence of offspring, with an eastern brown snake, Pseudonaja textilis (two separate encounters, one recorded by video/imaging) and 12 encounters with the Australian magpie, Gymnorhina tibicen. All events were associated with aggressive chasing and/or attack by adult skinks. The first snake encounter involved the active targeting of a recently born juvenile with the mother of the juvenile attacking the snake (running towards the snake, biting and remaining attached for several seconds). The second encounter (the following year) comprised two adult skinks attacking and biting a snake, Pseudonaja textilis. All magpie encounters resulted in chases by adult skinks.
Additional keywords: aggression, Egernia, lizard, social evolution, sociality.
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