Jules Farquhar, a reptile scientist at Monash University, has started his research into the Six-toothed Rainbow Skink brought to Darwin years ago

A reptile scientist at Monash University has started his research into a lizard species brought to Darwin about a quarter-of-a-century ago – and he needs your help. Find out how you can get involved

Reptile scientist and PhD candidate Jules Farquhar of Monash University is in Darwin to research the Six-toothed Rainbow Skink. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

Jules Farquhar, a reptile scientist and PhD candidate at Monash University, has started his research into a lizard species brought to Darwin about a quarter-of-a-century ago – and he needs your help.

The research, which began nearly a month ago, focuses on the impact of the Six-toothed Rainbow Skink, whose scientific name is Calia sexdentata.

The species is native to Australia – specifically to the northeast of Arnhem Land, the Torres Strait Islands and the Cape York Peninsula in Queensland – but was translocated to the Darwin region about 25 years ago.

Mr Farquhar said the research will continue for three years. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

The skink does not have six teeth like its name suggests; rather, it refers to the number of spiky scales in its ears.

Scientists like Mr Farquhar currently do not know what impact this species has had on the local ecosystem or what it’s good for.

Previous introduced species like the cane toad, for example, wreaked havoc on the local ecosystem and acted as a predator to native species, he said.

Mr Farquhar said he hoped Territorians would get invovled. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

Mr Farquhar said research often focused on the impact of species brought from other continents, and overlooked the impact of species moved within the same continent.

“The impact of these within-continent translocations are much less understood,” he said.

“Darwin naturally has several species of rainbow skinks, but this one’s quite a bit bigger and it’s been brought here by humans.”

Mr Farquhar is the lead researcher for the project. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

While it was too early to comment on any trends, Mr Farquhar said he heard plenty of anecdotes from long-time locals.

“A number of people have said that, in the past, they never saw this particular lizard species in their area,” he said.

“Now, it’s the most common lizard they see in their gardens.

“This suggests they are starting to colonise areas they didn’t previously inhabit.”

Mr Farquhar of Monash University left Darwin last week on Friday. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

Mr Farquhar has encouraged Territorians to report sightings of these lizards through the smartphone app iNaturalist, an easy-to-use tool for recording observations of planets and animals.

“All you have to do is take a photo and upload it,” he said.

“Other users can confirm the identification, and we get a record of where and when the lizard was seen; this helps us track their spread.

Mr Farquhar conducted his research at the Museum and Art Gallery in Darwin. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

“It’s very easy to use and is a great way to get the community involved in citizen science, while also learning about the wildlife that live in their backyards.

“It’s not just about understanding the lizards, but also about supporting biosecurity efforts to prevent further harm.”

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