Eulamprus tympanum
Silhouette: David Orr · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~70% in a week >90%
The southern water skink, cool-temperate water-skink, highland water skink, or Dreeite water skink (Eulamprus tympanum) is a medium-sized (maximum snout-vent length c. 100 mm) species of skink that is endemic to Australia. These skinks are found in New South Wales, South Australia, Victoria as well as on Tasmania's Rodondo Island in the Bass Strait. They are viviparous, mating in spring, and giving birth to live young in mid to late summer.
The southern water skink is a medium-sized skink with a snout-to-vent length of up to 85 mm (3.3 in). The head and body are mainly olive-brown, with darker speckles. The flanks are olive-brown with pale speckling. This species is native to southeastern Australia. It is found in the states of New South Wales, Victoria, the eastern part of Southern Australia and Tasmania, where it only occurs on Rodondo Island. Its habitat is in the vicinity of fresh water and its altitudinal range extends from sea level to near the top of Mount Kosciuszko.
The skink usually lives near small creeks, hunting for small prey such as invertebrates, tadpoles, small frogs and other small skinks. Its metabolic... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grampians National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Wilsons Promontory National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Great Otway National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Kosciuszko National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Melbourne | 🇦🇺 Australia |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Cool-temperate Water Skink sighting in Great Otway National Park on a given day, based on 178 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the most-seen of the 19 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
September to March
In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Cool-temperate Water Skink in Great Otway National Park on a given day, against under 5% in June and July, the lowest months.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Cool-temperate Water Skink sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 4
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Cool-temperate Water Skink sightings, Great Otway National Park ranks 3rd at about 40%. The best odds are in Grampians National Park (Australia, about 70%) and Wilsons Promontory National Park (Australia, about 60%). All parks ranked.
Same family: Scincidae
The closest relatives of the Cool-temperate Water Skink that you can see in Great Otway National Park (family Scincidae, Skinks) are Pale-flecked Garden Sunskink (about 30%), Blotched Bluetongue (about 20%) and McCoy's Skink (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Cool-temperate Water Skink is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Great Otway National Park (178 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.
