Bellatorias frerei
Silhouette: David Orr · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~70% in a week ~90%
The major skink (Bellatorias frerei) is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is native to part of Australia and part of Australasia. The specific name, frerei, refers to Mount Bartle Frere where the holotype was collected.
B. frerei is found in Australia in the states of Queensland and New South Wales, and in Papua New Guinea. B. frerei is found in a variety of habitats including forest, savanna, grassland, rocky areas, and suburban areas.
The holotype of B. frerei has a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of 9.3 cm (3.7 in), plus a tail length of 14 cm (5.5 in). B. frerei is terrestrial and diurnal, basking to thermoregulate, and living socially in small colonies.
B. frerei is omnivorous. B. frerei is ovoviviparous. Cogger HG (2014). Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia, Seventh Edition. Clayton, Victoria, Australia: CSIRO Publishing. xxx + 1,033 pp. ISBN 978-0643100350. Gardner MG, Hugall AF, Donnellan SC, Hutchinson MN, Foster R (2008). "Molecular systematics of social skinks: phylogeny and taxonomy of the Egernia group... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Noosa National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Daintree National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Lamington National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Springbrook National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brisbane | 🇦🇺 Australia |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Healesville Sanctuary | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Frankfurt Zoological Garden | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 3 | Reptile Gardens | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | VigoNature | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 5 | Cairns Aquarium | 🇦🇺 Australia |
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Major Skink sighting in Daintree National Park on a given day, based on 61 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 11th most-seen of the 31 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January, April and August–November
In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Major Skink in Daintree National Park on a given day, against under 5% in May, the lowest month.
Between 1 and 4 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Major Skink sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 4
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Major Skink sightings, Daintree National Park ranks 2nd at about 30%. The best odds are in Noosa National Park (Australia, about 40%).
Same family: Scincidae
The closest relatives of the Major Skink that you can see in Daintree National Park (family Scincidae, Skinks) are Northern Red-throated Rainbow Skink (about 40%), Closed-litter Rainbow Skink (about 40%) and Rainforest Water-skink (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Major Skink is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Daintree National Park (61 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
