Reptiles
Native reptiles | Introduced reptiles | Join the reptile watch program
Native Reptiles
Of six native terrestrial reptiles, five are endemic. The sixth is the foreshore skink (Emoia atrocostata), common also on other oceanic islands. The five endemics include two skinks, the blue-tailed skink (Crytptoblepharus egeriae) and the forest skink (Emoia nativitatis); two geckos, the giant gecko (Cryptodactylus sp. nov.) and the tree gecko (Lepidodactylus listeri); and one burrowing snake, the pink blind snake (Ramphotyphlops exocoeti). There has been a marked decline in the range of several species over the previous decade. The endemic blue tailed skink has virtually disappeared from the north-east and eastern parts of the Island, and the tree gecko appears to have suffered a severe decline in numbers.
Introduced reptiles
Five exotic reptiles comprising two geckos, one skink and two snakes occur in and around the settled area. These are regionally abundant species associated with human colonisation. All introduced reptiles on Christmas Island are found in the park, but some like the grass skink are more common than others. The house gecko (Gehyra mutilata), the barking gecko (Hemidactylus frenatus), and the black blind snake (Ramphotyphlops braminus) are found in the park. The wolf snake (Lycodon aulicus capucinus) appears to be moving further into the rainforest, and grass skinks (Lygosoma bowringii) have recently been seen on the fringe of the park rainforest.
Christmas Island community reptile watch
Many of Christmas Islands’ terrestrial reptiles have undergone significant decline in the last few years. To gain a better understanding of how to manage our reptiles Christmas Island National Park is now developing a range of programs including a captive breeding program. We are also examining the possibility that the declines are related to an introduced disease, and developing a program to better understand the impacts of habitat alteration and the introduction of various feral animals.
An important step to better understand the declines is to know where the reptiles occur across the island. This is an enormous job as:
- the island has many areas that are difficult to get to
- some of the reptile species are very hard to locate
- there are times of the year when reptiles are less active and
- many of the native species are in very low numbers
As a result the park would love the Christmas Island community to help. We would like to develop a ‘Reptile Watch’ program.
We will train all interested people in reptile identification. You will not only help to collect valuable survey and monitoring data, but also be able to follow up on leads from potential sightings by other community members. We will collate all of this information use it to try to secure the island’s terrestrial reptiles.
Download the brochure for more information and to join (PDF - 147KB)