Land Mullet
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Egernia major or the Land Mullet
These beautiful black lizards will often be found basking on walking tracks in the rainforested areas of central coast NSW to the border ranges of South East Queensland. The land mullet is one of the largest skinks in Australia, growing to a maximum length of 45 cm. As young animals, they have blue, white or yellow dots on their flanks. The adult animals retain a white eyeliner, which accentuates their large, knowing eyes.
They are a fairly secretive animal, preferring to forage close to ground cover such as vines, fallen logs, and vegetation. The family group of the land mullet will often consist of a pair of adults and several young of varying ages up to sexual maturity. All these young animals will be offspring of the adult pair, and will be encouraged to leave the group when they reach maturity. The female land mullet gives birth to live young, with about 4 babies being be born. These babies then stay with the mother, who will not give birth for another two years.
The land mullet eats a variety of foods, with the majority of their diet being vegetarian. Wild mushrooms are always a favourite!
Did you know...
- The land mullet is one of the largest skinks in Australia, growing to about 60 cm.
- The family group of the land mullet will often consist of a pair of adults and several young of varying ages up to sexual maturity which will be encouraged to leave the group when they reach maturity.
- These beautiful, black, glossy lizards will often be found basking on walking tracks in the rainforested areas from central coast NSW to the border ranges of South East Queensland.
- The female land mullet gives birth to live young, with about 4 babies being be born. These babies then stay with the mother, who will not give birth for another two years.
Where to find Land Mullets in Australia:
