Pseudemoia pagenstecheri
Silhouette: Oliver Griffith · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
Pseudemoia pagenstecheri, also known commonly as the southern grass tussock skink and the southern tussock grass skink, is a species of lizard in the subfamily Eugongylinae of the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to Australia.
The specific name, pagenstecheri, is in honour of German zoologist Heinrich Alexander Pagenstecher. Pseudemoia pagenstecheri is found in eastern New South Wales, Tasmania, and northeastern Victoria, Australia. The preferred natural habitat of Pseudemoia pagenstecheri is tussock grassland, especially medium to tall tussock grass.
Pseudemoia pagenstecheri is viviparous. Pseudemoia pagenstecheri is known to hybridize with two other species in its genus, P. cryodroma and P. entrecasteauxii. The southern grass tussock skink is listed as "Least Concern" on the IUCN Red List of Threatened species. However, it is acknowledged that the current population is decreasing, especially in the Western Volcanic Plains of Melbourne. This is further confirmed by the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act listing the species as "Endangered" in the Volcanic Plains... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kosciuszko National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
More parks will be added in future updates.
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Tussock Skink sighting in Kosciuszko National Park on a given day, based on 13 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 14th most-seen of the 20 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January and March–April
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Tussock Skink in Kosciuszko National Park on a given day, against under 5% in May to December, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Tussock 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.
Only Kosciuszko National Park, in our data
Kosciuszko National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Tussock Skink sightings: about 20% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same genus: Pseudemoia
The closest relatives of the Tussock Skink that you can see in Kosciuszko National Park (genus Pseudemoia, Pseudemoia Grass Skinks) are Entrecasteaux's Skink (about 40%) and Trunk-climbing Cool-skink (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Tussock Skink is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Kosciuszko National Park (13 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.
