Snakeskink (SciiFii)

The snakeskink (Notoscincus coluber), also known as the snake skink, the serpentine skink, and the New Zealand snake, is a species of lizard of the skink family that originally did not exist, but has since been created by SciiFii and introduced throughout the temperate rainforests, wetlands, forests, and open woodlands across New Zealand to help boost biodiversity. The closest living relatives of the snakeskink are skinks of the genus Oligosoma. To mimic convergent evolution, the snakeskink was made to have a highly developed longer body and reduced legs that are no longer used for locomotion, moving in a snake-like fashion instead, hence its name. The snakeskink fills the ecological niche similar to non-venomous snakes in New Zealand (where snakes are absent), feeding mostly on small mammals and small lizards captured inside their burrows. The conservation status of the snakeskink is Least Concern due to successful conservation efforts, the snakeskink's wide range and its tolerance to many of the human activities.