Oligosoma judgei
Silhouette: David Orr · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~30%
The Barrier skink (Oligosoma judgei) is a species of medium-sized skink, a lizard in the subfamily Eugongylinae of the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to New Zealand, where it lives in the alpine habitat of the Darran and Takitimu Mountains of Fiordland. It is one of only two species of New Zealand skinks that live exclusively in the alpine zone, the other being the "Sinbad skink", Oligosoma pikitanga, a closely related species of similar appearance which is found in the same part of the South Island. The Barrier skink was first collected in the 1960s but was overlooked until rediscovery by a pair of mountain climbers in 2005; the species was scientifically described in 2009.
The specific name, judgei, is in honor of Bronwyn Judge and Murray Judge, two New Zealand rock climbers who discovered this skink on Barrier Knob. The preferred natural habitat of O. judgei is rocky areas of grassland, at altitudes of 1,100–1,650 m (3,610–5,410 ft).
The holotype of O. judgei, an adult male, has a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of 8 cm (3.1 in), but females may grow to 9 cm (3.5 in) SVL. Oligosoma judgei is terrestrial, saxicolous... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fiordland National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand |
More parks will be added in future updates.
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Barrier skink sighting in Fiordland National Park on a given day, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April and December–February
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Barrier skink in Fiordland National Park on a given day, against under 5% in March and May–November, the lowest months.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Barrier skink sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Only Fiordland National Park, in our data
Fiordland National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Barrier skink sightings: about 10% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same genus: Oligosoma
The closest relatives of the Barrier skink that you can see in Fiordland National Park (genus Oligosoma, New Zealand skinks) are Eyres skink (about 10%) and Cryptic Skink (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Barrier skink is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Fiordland National Park (6 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.
