Gidgee skink

The gidgee or spiny-tailed skink is armoured with keeled, spiny scales, particularly on its short tail. When threatened it wedges itself into a crevice and inflates its body, making it almost impossible to pull out.

It is also one of the clearest examples of family life in reptiles. Related individuals share the same rock crevice or log for years, using communal toilet sites, and young stay with their parents for an extended period. Experiments have shown gidgee skinks can recognise members of their own group by the scent of their droppings. Behaviour like this makes the Egernia group a favourite of researchers studying how social living evolves.