Bull Skink (Liopholis multiscutata)

Conservation status

Victoria, Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988: Critically endangered.

Breeding season

Bull Skinks are live bearers, with 1 to 3 young produced each year and births recorded in mid to late summer. Exact mating and pregnancy timing is not recorded, so clearing should be planned around local temperature patterns and confirmed burrow occupancy, with particular care from spring through late summer and during cooler periods when animals may shelter underground.

Reproductive mode: Viviparous, producing live young.

Litter size: 1 to 3 young per year.

Gestation: Not recorded.

Size at birth: Not recorded.

Age at maturity: Relatively slow to mature; the age at maturity is not recorded.

Nest or egg sites: Not applicable for this live-bearing species. Shallow burrows in sandy soils are documented refuges.

Breeding frequency: Young are reported each year, but the number of litters per female is not recorded.

Confirm timing locally with the relevant state fauna authority or species specialist, because rainfall and temperature can change surface activity, sheltering and birth timing across the species' range.

• Mating: Mating months are not recorded. Spring to summer is the best-supported general breeding window for this species, but the exact timing should not be assumed across its range.
• Gravid females: The period when females carry embryos is not recorded. This window is inferred generally from mid to late summer births, with pregnancies most likely during the preceding warmer months.
• Births: Births occur in mid to late summer. January and February are used as the main period for Australian month mapping, although the source does not give exact calendar months.
• Newborns: Newborns are expected to be most numerous around the recorded mid to late summer birth period. Their emergence and dispersal timing are not separately recorded.
• Active period: Bull Skinks are diurnal and forage during warmer parts of the day. The active months are not recorded, so this pattern represents general activity for a temperate Australian burrowing reptile and may shift with local temperatures.
• Winter inactivity: In cooler months, Bull Skinks may remain underground and be seen less often. This is a general seasonal mapping, not a documented fixed brumation period, and sheltered animals may be unable to escape machinery.
• Highest clearing risk: Risk is highest around January and February because births occur in mid to late summer, and remains high during cooler months when animals may be sheltering in shallow burrows. Burrow disturbance can affect adults or dependent young at any time, so confirmed burrows should be protected before clearing.

Identification

The Bull Skink is a secretive, burrowing skink with variable colour patterning. Identification should be supported by a clear colour photograph and, where possible, a specimen or photo voucher submitted to the relevant state fauna authority or museum.

The species exhibits colour pattern polymorphism. On the Jurien Bay islands, Bull Skinks are described as having paired pale spots along the length of dark longitudinal dorsal stripes when dorsal patterning is present. Some related skinks may be unpatterned, so absence of a pattern should not be used alone to exclude the species.

Identification: Size, scales and head shape

The supplied sources do not provide measurements or body mass for Bull Skinks. On the Jurien Bay islands, the Bull Skink is described as similarly sized and patterned to the Jurien Bay skink, Liopholis pulchra longicauda.

Bull Skink dorsal scales lack the weak tricarinate keels present in the Jurien Bay skink. Scale keeling should therefore be checked closely in good-quality photographs or during a controlled examination.

Body length: Not provided in the supplied sources.

Weight: Not provided in the supplied sources.

Sexual differences: Not provided in the supplied sources.

Identification: Field signs and similar species

The main field sign is a shallow, self-constructed burrow in sandy soil. On islands where related skinks are present, Bull Skinks may use sandy burrows adjacent to rock crevices occupied by other species.

The Jurien Bay skink has weakly keeled dorsal scales, usually single pale spots in dark dorsal stripes and a shallower head. The Bull Skink has unkeeled dorsal scales and paired pale spots in the dark dorsal stripes. King’s skink juveniles can also cause confusion, but they have more strongly keeled scales and pale spots on a darkly mottled background.

• Treat an animal or burrow record as unconfirmed if the photograph does not show the dorsal scales, head profile and dorsal pattern clearly.
• Record the burrow entrance, substrate, nearby vegetation and any associated rock shelter without disturbing the refuge.
• No species-specific information was provided on tracks, scats, calls, sloughs, eyeshine or nests.

Distribution: National range

The Bull Skink has a small, disjunct distribution in southern Australia. The supplied distribution account records populations across several coastal and near-coastal regions and offshore islands, but does not provide population estimates or a quantified trend.

The species is recorded from South Australia, including Kangaroo Island, Eyre Peninsula, Yorke Peninsula and Greenly Island. It extends westward through coastal regions of southern Western Australia and eastward into western Victoria.

The distribution includes many offshore islands. Greenly Island is the type locality, and the name Liopholis multiscutata is used for the species as a whole after the proposed subspecies were rejected on genetic and morphological grounds.

States and territories: South Australia, Western Australia and western Victoria.

Broad regions: Eyre and Yorke Peninsulas, Kangaroo Island, coastal southern Western Australia, western Victoria and offshore islands.

Type locality: Greenly Island, South Australia.

Bioregions: Specific IBRA bioregions are not identified in the supplied sources.

Distribution: Subpopulations and trend

Named island and coastal occurrences should be treated as separate management units where habitat is discontinuous. The supplied sources do not identify population strongholds, abundance, generation length or a quantified population trend.

The taxonomy source records that genetic and morphological evidence did not support recognition of subspecies. This does not remove the need to manage geographically isolated occurrences separately.

Population size: Not provided.

Population trend: Not provided.

Generation length: Not provided.

• Map all occupied and potentially occupied sandy burrows before clearing, particularly on islands and coastal sites.
• Do not assume that an apparently isolated occurrence is insignificant, because the species has a small disjunct distribution and is secretive.

Habitat: Habitat setting

The Bull Skink is an obligate burrowing species associated with sandy soils and, in some settings, nearby rock shelters. The supplied sources do not define its full vegetation, elevation or climatic limits.

The species occurs in coastal and near-coastal parts of southern Australia and on offshore islands. It constructs shallow burrows in adjacent sandy soils where related skinks occupy rock crevices.

On islands where the Bull Skink occurs without the Jurien Bay skink, it may also use rock crevices and burrows beneath rocks. This indicates that available shelter and substrate can influence local habitat use.

Habitat: Site features to retain

Retain sandy soil, low vegetation, leaf litter, surface rocks and shallow burrow systems within connected habitat. Avoid stripping the ground surface around an identified burrow, because the surrounding area may provide feeding habitat and additional refuge.

The supplied sources do not provide preferred vegetation communities, elevation limits, soil depth, canopy cover or minimum patch size.

• Inspect sandy ground and the edges of rock outcrops before clearing.
• Fence or otherwise exclude machinery from confirmed burrows and adjacent undisturbed habitat until a fauna ecologist has assessed the site.
• Treat nearby rock piles, slabs and dense low vegetation as potential associated shelter rather than isolated non-habitat.

Foraging habitat

The supplied sources do not describe the Bull Skink's diet, prey species, food plants or foraging distance. Management should therefore retain the habitat immediately around burrows and avoid assuming that only the burrow footprint is occupied.

The species is described as a secretive habitat specialist and an obligate burrower. On islands, related skinks forage in low scrub and dense leaf litter, while Bull Skinks use adjacent sandy soils and burrows.

There is no species-specific information in the supplied sources on whether the Bull Skink is primarily insectivorous, omnivorous or uses particular plant foods.

Diet: Not provided in the supplied sources.

Key prey or food plants: Not provided.

Foraging range: Not provided.

• Retain low vegetation, leaf litter, surface debris and sandy ground around burrow systems until foraging habitat has been assessed.
• Do not use pitfall trapping, baiting or habitat modification as a substitute for targeted assessment without a site-specific fauna method approved by the relevant authority.
• Record prey, feeding observations and foraging distances if observed, because these data are not provided in the supplied sources.

Breeding habitat: Breeding biology

The Bull Skink is viviparous, but the supplied sources do not provide its mating season, litter size, gestation period, age at maturity or lifespan. Breeding habitat should be managed as part of the occupied burrow and surrounding sandy habitat.

Females give birth to live young. No further breeding measurements or seasonal information are provided in the supplied sources.

Breeding mode: Viviparous.

Mating season: Not provided.

Birth season: Not provided.

Litter size: Not provided.

Gestation: Not provided.

Age at maturity: Not provided.

Lifespan: Not provided.

Breeding habitat: Breeding habitat protection

Shallow burrows in sandy soils are the clearest documented habitat feature associated with the species. Because the species gives birth to live young, disturbance to occupied burrows may affect adults or dependent young even though the timing of births is not known.

• Avoid clearing, grading, vibration and compaction around confirmed burrows until breeding status has been assessed.
• Maintain connected sandy habitat around burrows and retain nearby ground cover and surface refuges.
• Obtain local timing information from the state fauna authority or a species specialist before scheduling high-impact works.

Sheltering habitat: Burrows and surface refuges

The Bull Skink is an obligate burrower. Shallow self-constructed burrows in sandy soils are the primary documented refuge, with rock crevices and burrows beneath rocks also used in some island settings.

On islands where Bull Skinks and Jurien Bay skinks occur together, the Bull Skink uses self-constructed shallow burrows in sandy soils adjacent to limestone rock crevices. Where the Jurien Bay skink is absent, Bull Skinks may use rock crevices and burrows beneath rocks.

The supplied sources do not provide burrow entrance dimensions, depth, length, occupancy rates or the number of burrows used by an individual.

Documented refuge: Shallow, self-constructed burrows in sandy soils.

Other documented refuge: Rock crevices and burrows beneath rocks in some island settings.

Refuge dimensions: Not provided.

• Do not fill, collapse, excavate or probe a suspected burrow during a pre-clearance search.
• Inspect sandy margins beside rock outcrops, under rocks and around low scrub for additional entrances.
• Retain surface rocks, leaf litter and low vegetation near burrows unless removal has been specifically assessed.

Sheltering habitat: Detection and handling

The species is secretive and may remain below ground during site inspections. A burrow record should be treated as evidence of potential occupancy even when no animal is visible.

The supplied sources do not provide a Bull Skink-specific trapping protocol. Any capture or relocation should follow the relevant state approval, animal welfare requirements and project fauna management plan.

• Use a qualified fauna spotter catcher for pre-clearance searches and staged habitat removal.
• Photograph and map each burrow, with scale and substrate visible, before works begin.
• Stop work and seek species identification if a skink is found in a burrow, under a rock or in cleared material.

Threats: Clearing and construction

The supplied sources identify a secretive, obligate burrowing species with a small disjunct distribution and a threatened Victorian listing supplied with the project brief. They do not quantify the effects of particular threats, so project controls should focus on preventing direct loss of burrows and fragmentation of sandy habitat.

Clearing, grading, trenching, stockpiling and vehicle movement can destroy shallow burrows, compact sandy soils and remove nearby refuge and foraging habitat.

Fragmentation is a concern because the species occurs in disjunct coastal and island populations. The supplied sources do not provide a minimum viable patch size or dispersal distance.

• Complete targeted searches before clearing, including sandy areas beside rock outcrops and low scrub.
• Set exclusion zones around confirmed burrows and retain connected habitat between occupied areas where practicable.
• Do not bury spoil, store materials or park machinery on sandy habitat containing burrows.

Threats: Fire, roads and predators

The supplied sources do not provide species-specific evidence on fire response, road mortality, introduced predators or disease. These risks should be assessed at the project site rather than assumed to be absent.

New roads and tracks may increase direct mortality and divide sandy habitat, particularly where they cross areas containing burrows.

• Include road mortality and predator access in the site risk assessment where roads, construction traffic or new access tracks are proposed.
• Retain shelter and ground cover after works, and avoid creating continuous cleared strips through occupied habitat.
• Seek advice from the relevant state fauna authority on fire timing, predator control and disease precautions for the local population.

Threats: Hydrology and soil disturbance

No direct evidence on hydrology change is provided. However, because the species depends on sandy soils and shallow burrows, changes that waterlog, erode, scour or compact those soils should be considered potential site risks.

• Prevent sediment movement, uncontrolled runoff and repeated vehicle passage through occupied sandy habitat.
• Inspect burrows after major earthworks or drainage changes and document any collapse, erosion or altered soil moisture.

Survey methodology: 1. Map habitat and search for burrows

Bull Skink is an obligate burrowing skink associated with sandy soils and, in some settings, rock shelters and low scrub. The supplied material does not provide a dedicated Bull Skink survey design, so use targeted habitat searches supported by approved trapping or visual methods where suitable.

Before selecting survey locations, map sandy soils, shallow self-constructed burrows, adjacent rock piles, ground debris, low scrub and dense leaf litter.

Search burrow entrances and nearby cover during the species' likely active periods, without excavating or collapsing burrows.

Treat occupied or recently used burrows as fauna habitat and record their locations with photographs and GPS coordinates.

• Search the full disturbance footprint and a suitable adjoining area of retained habitat so that burrow concentrations, shelter features and movement links are identified.
• Use binoculars where animals can be observed without disturbing shelter sites, and directly examine rock crevices or cover where vegetation prevents distant observation.

Survey methodology: 2. Conduct daytime visual searches

Use targeted daytime searches when temperatures and conditions are suitable for surface activity.

Prioritise late morning to afternoon searches in temperate conditions, based on the supplied guidance for a related Liopholis species, and adjust timing to local weather and observations.

Search the edges of sandy areas, burrows, rock shelters and low scrub rather than relying only on open-ground searches.

• Record the search date, start and finish time, observers, weather, search area, habitat searched and all detection results.
• Do not handle animals during an identification search unless the person is authorised and handling is required for a lawful survey purpose.

Survey methodology: 3. Use trapping only where approved and suitable

Use pitfall trapping as a supplementary method only after confirming that the design is suitable for Bull Skink habitat and has been approved by the relevant wildlife authority.

The supplied Liopholis guidance describes a line of five 10 litre buckets, each approximately 5 metres apart, with a drift fence to improve capture success.

Pitfall trapping may be less useful where animals remain close to rock shelters or burrows, and traps can be difficult to install around rock outcrops.

Example trap line: Five 10 litre buckets, approximately 5 metres apart, with a drift fence.

• Set traps during a locally appropriate active period and provide the animal welfare measures required by the permit and fauna management plan.
• Do not install traps where excavation, soil disturbance or drift fencing would damage occupied burrows or retained habitat features.

Survey methodology: Minimum effort and reporting

The supplied documents do not specify a Bull Skink minimum number of survey nights, hours, trap nights, transect length or search density.

Set effort through the project risk assessment, current state guidance, the relevant permit and advice from the state fauna authority, and explain the basis for the chosen effort in the report.

Use clear colour photographs as photo vouchers where identification is uncertain, and retain the original files with location and date metadata.

• Have records checked by a suitably experienced herpetologist when the species is confused with another Liopholis or when the photograph does not show diagnostic features.
• Submit confirmed records, negative survey results and photo vouchers to the relevant state wildlife database or fauna authority.
• Report the survey footprint, habitat searched, methods, dates, weather, observer experience, trap design and limitations.
• Check current state and Australian Government listing, permit and approval requirements before fieldwork and before disturbance begins.

Before habitat disturbance: Avoid and minimise

Plan around the Bull Skink's burrowing habit and its use of sandy soils, rock shelters and ground cover. Avoid removing habitat features before their location and use have been assessed.

Retain sandy soil areas containing self-constructed shallow burrows, together with adjoining low scrub, leaf litter, rocks and ground debris.

Keep connected areas of suitable retained habitat between burrow concentrations and surrounding shelter or foraging areas.

Set disturbance setbacks around occupied or recently used burrows and other habitat concentrations in consultation with the fauna authority, because the supplied documents do not specify a fixed buffer distance.

Avoid placing stockpiles, access tracks, compounds or drainage structures over sandy burrow habitat or rock shelters.

• Use the smallest practicable disturbance footprint.
• Keep retained habitat linked rather than leaving isolated patches where the project layout allows.
• Do not assume a site is unsuitable because animals are not visible above ground.

Before habitat disturbance: Confirm approvals and plan the works

Check the current EPBC Act and state listing before finalising the works, even though the supplied profile states that the species is not currently listed under the EPBC Act and is listed as Critically Endangered in Victoria.

Obtain any state wildlife permits required for survey, trapping, handling, salvage or relocation.

Prepare a fauna management plan that identifies Bull Skink habitat, survey methods, exclusion areas, authorised personnel, stop-work triggers, response procedures and reporting requirements.

• Stage clearing so that high-risk habitat is dealt with in small, supervised sections rather than opened across the whole site at once.
• Schedule disturbance outside periods of low detectability where the relevant authority provides a local seasonal recommendation.
• Include a process for revising the work method if burrows or animals are found.

Before habitat disturbance: Prepare the site

Complete a pre-clearance survey immediately before works, with particular attention to shallow burrows in sandy soils and animals sheltering under rocks or other ground cover.

Mark occupied burrows, habitat concentrations, retained vegetation, rock shelters and access limits on plans and on the ground.

Install exclusion fencing around retained habitat where it will prevent machinery entry, soil compaction and accidental removal of shelter features.

Brief the fauna spotter catcher, operators and supervisors on the species' appearance, burrowing behaviour, work limits and response procedure.

• Photograph and GPS-mark habitat features before machinery enters the work area.
• Check that fencing remains intact after vehicle movements, weather events and each shift change.
• Keep plant and storage areas outside marked burrow and shelter habitat.

During habitat disturbance: Daily controls

Use active supervision whenever machinery is working near mapped Bull Skink habitat. The fauna spotter catcher should control the sequence of clearing and stop work when an animal or occupied shelter is at risk.

Inspect exclusion fencing, access routes, stockpiles and marked habitat before each shift.

Keep the fauna spotter catcher in direct communication with the machine operator and site supervisor while clearing occurs near retained habitat.

Clear in short sections from the disturbed edge towards retained habitat only where this direction is approved in the fauna management plan.

Prevent unnecessary driving, vibration, soil stripping and storage on sandy burrow habitat.

• Record the daily work area, machinery used, spotter catcher, weather, habitat removed, animals observed and incidents.
• Keep a current map showing cleared areas, retained burrows, exclusion zones and any relocated animals.
• Stop machinery before the operator enters a marked exclusion area or the spotter catcher loses safe visual control.

During habitat disturbance: Handle habitat features carefully

Assume that shallow burrows and concealed animals may occur below or beside surface features in sandy soils.

Do not use machinery to rake, crush or fill occupied burrows, rock shelters or ground debris without direction from the authorised fauna spotter catcher and the approved management procedure.

Where rocks, logs or other cover must be moved, lift and inspect them under supervision, then place them in retained habitat if permitted by the plan.

Treat low scrub and dense leaf litter as potential shelter and foraging habitat rather than clearing them unnecessarily.

• Do not excavate burrows to search for an animal.
• Keep removed rocks, logs and other suitable cover separate from spoil if they are to be reused in rehabilitation.
• Stop work if soil disturbance exposes a burrow network or if the approved method cannot protect the feature.

During habitat disturbance: Respond to an animal or injury

Stop the immediate work area when a Bull Skink is found, and allow the authorised fauna spotter catcher to assess the animal and its shelter.

Only authorised and suitably trained personnel may capture, handle or relocate the animal, and they must follow the permit and fauna management plan.

Relocate an animal only when required for its safety and only to nearby retained habitat with suitable sandy soil, burrows, cover and connectivity, as approved by the relevant authority.

Send injured animals promptly to an authorised wildlife veterinarian or wildlife carer, following the project's wildlife response arrangements.

• Do not chase an animal into a burrow or repeatedly disturb it to obtain a photograph.
• Stop work and notify the project ecologist and relevant authority if the species is found outside the assessed impact area, if multiple animals are detected, or if a burrow concentration is exposed.
• Record the animal's location, habitat, photographs, condition, action taken, release location and names of authorised personnel.

After habitat disturbance: Inspect and monitor

Close out each work area with a documented inspection and maintain protection of retained habitat. Use the results to refine later stages and meet approval and permit conditions.

Complete a post-clearance inspection of the disturbed edge, retained burrows, rock shelters, low scrub and access routes before the fauna spotter catcher leaves the area.

Check for animals trapped in excavations, trenches, pits, pipes, stockpiles or temporary fencing, and resolve hazards under the approved fauna procedure.

Monitor retained habitat and any approved relocation sites using repeat searches or other methods set by the project ecologist and wildlife authority.

Compare detections, burrow condition, habitat loss and incidents between pre-clearance, clearing and post-clearance stages.

• Maintain exclusion fencing and cover or inspect artificial hazards until the area is safe for fauna.
• Repair damaged fencing and reinstate displaced habitat features as soon as practicable.
• Do not remove monitoring equipment or release a work area from controls until the responsible ecologist confirms that the management actions are complete.

After habitat disturbance: Report and review

Provide the client, approval authority and relevant state fauna authority with the required survey, clearance, handling, relocation, injury and mortality records.

Submit confirmed sightings and suitable photo vouchers to the relevant state wildlife database.

Document any change to the approved method, including extra clearing controls, revised setbacks, additional searches or changes to staging.

Assess whether residual impacts require an offset or other compensatory action under the applicable approval and state requirements.

• Include maps, photographs, effort details, detection records, habitat descriptions, incident forms and rehabilitation commitments in the completion report.
• Review the results before starting the next clearing stage and amend the fauna management plan where the evidence shows that controls are not effective.

Rehabilitation actions: Restore burrowing and shelter habitat

Rehabilitation should restore the features Bull Skink uses for burrowing, shelter and movement. Design the treatment around the local pre-clearing habitat and protect it from compaction and repeated disturbance.

Reinstate suitable sandy soil profiles where excavation has removed or compacted Bull Skink habitat, using clean material that matches the local soil and drainage conditions.

Re-establish locally native low scrub and ground cover around restored sandy areas, using species and densities based on nearby intact reference habitat.

Replace salvaged rocks, logs and other suitable ground cover in connected groups that provide shelter beside sandy soils.

Do not create artificial burrows or move habitat features into a new area unless the project ecologist and relevant authority approve the design.

• Keep heavy vehicles and storage off restored burrow habitat until the soil and vegetation are stable.
• Retain natural leaf litter and ground debris where they are compatible with erosion and fire requirements.
• Prevent rehabilitation works from isolating retained habitat or blocking movement between sandy areas and shelter features.

Rehabilitation actions: Manage threats and fire

Control weeds that replace low native scrub, ground cover or leaf litter around retained and restored habitat.

Manage introduced predators and domestic animals in accordance with the approved fauna management plan and local authority advice.

Prepare fire management actions with the land manager and relevant fire authority, avoiding uncontrolled loss of burrows, shelter features and native ground cover.

Use nearby intact Bull Skink habitat as the reference for vegetation structure, soil condition and shelter availability.

• Inspect rehabilitation after fires, floods, erosion, earthworks and weed control operations.
• Repair erosion or exposed burrows without filling occupied burrows.
• Keep access controls in place where vehicle use could compact restored sandy soils.

Rehabilitation actions: Measure success

Set monitoring points across restored sandy areas, retained burrow concentrations and adjoining shelter habitat.

Measure survival and cover of planted native vegetation, soil stability, retention of rocks and logs, condition of burrows, weed cover and Bull Skink detections.

Use repeat photographs, GPS locations and consistent search methods so results can be compared between monitoring rounds.

Continue monitoring for the period required by the approval, permit or rehabilitation plan, and extend it if the habitat has not regained the agreed condition.

• Define success before works begin, including stable sandy soils, functioning shelter features, connected retained habitat, acceptable weed levels and evidence that Bull Skink use is not declining.
• Report failures and corrective actions to the approval holder and relevant fauna authority.
• Do not claim rehabilitation success from vegetation establishment alone when burrow and shelter habitat remain unsuitable.

Sources

• Liopholis multiscutata - The Reptile Database, reptile-database.reptarium.cz: http://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/Liopholis/multiscutata
• Survey guidelines for Australia's threatened reptiles, Australian Government DCCEEW: https://www.agriculture.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/survey-guidelines-reptiles.pdf
• Bull skink - Wikipedia, en.wikipedia.org: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bull_skink
• Fascinating Facts About the Bull Skink, animalstart.com: https://animalstart.com/article/fascinating-facts-about-bull-skink/