Scrumping!

Well alright we didn't actually go scrumping (stealing apples!), but we did head out into the sticks to a beautiful orchard and pick a truck load of the tastiest apples I have ever encountered. We then paid for said apples! Increasing numbers of young children have absolutely no idea where food comes from, they are used to the supermarket providing all their requirements. A visit to a local 'pick your own' farm is a fantastic opportunity to educate youngsters on the variety of produce harvested each year. 

The rain was positively lashing down when we arrived and, unsurprisingly, we were the only ones bold enough to head into the orchard and start sizing up our apples. They were preparing to shut up shop (replace the boundary fence and prevent vehicle access), but agreed to hang on while we filled our bags to the brim. 

After stowing our pomaceous fruit in the car, we headed off down to the river for a stroll. There were deep puddles everywhere and, with the boys kitted out Norwegian style in all the latest waterproof accessories, we allowed them to splash to their hearts content. Puddles and kids are simply the best of friends. 

A couple of weeks later we headed back with some friends and picked some equally delicious fruit. This time the weather was kinder and we were able to explore the area in more detail. One of my children found a badgers sett under a tree. 

The badger, who dug this hole, knew exactly what he was doing - tonnes of fruit on tap for a good couple of months. Badger setts can run for hundreds of metres and accommodate several animals. Not many people realise that the humble Badger is the largest UK carnivore, much heavier than the average fox and adult males have been known to weigh in at 15 - 20 kilos, the biggest ever caught was as round as a beer barrel and weighed more like 30 kilos! Take a look at this clip for an idea of who is the daddy when Mr Fox meets Mr Badger http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfZkuMfQdHU 

At this time of year badgers continue to feed as much as possible to ensure they store adequate fat reserves ready for winter. Badgers don't fully hibernate, but they do sleep a lot more and during the coldest parts of winter it is rare for them to leave the sett. 

We planted a couple of small apple trees in our garden last year and they have produced a few pieces of fruit, but nothing compared to the ridiculously laden branches of the trees in this orchard. You always need two apple trees in close proximity or there is less chance of generating fruit. Apple trees (genus Malus, which means wicked in latin and seemingly someone has been reading a bit too much snow white!) will not self-pollinate but that doesn't mean you must have a pair right next to each other. Often a neighbour will have a tree or two kicking about in the garden or even in a pot on the patio, which is good enough when the insects come calling. 

I do love autumn. The multitude of falling colours signals the start of colder times, but tied up with the oranges and browns we find the sweet, sugary taste of blackberries and apples. Who doesn't like apple and blackberry crumble? Then the children have all the excitement of halloween and bonfire night, before the big one - Christmas - enters the fray. Every season is beautiful and special in a different way. 

Cunningham's skink

Many, many years ago, when I was an impetuous youth, I had the pleasure of owning a pair of rare Australian skinks. The species in my possession was Egernia cunninghami or Cunningham's skink. Only found in south eastern Australia, a country that completely prohibits the export of native fauna, these spiny-tailed beauties found their way to Europe and were captive bred during the 80s and 90s.

Skinks are a family of lizards typically characterised by large, robust heads, short necks and relatively small limbs. They often have a bulky, almost comical appearance but members of the Egernia genus tend to have slightly longer more powerful limbs, which take their appearance a touch closer to the true lizards (Lacertidae).

Cunningham's skink is not especially tame, unlike many blue tongued skinks (see pics below), but depending on the level of human interaction they do become much calmer and some individuals are happy to be picked up or fed by hand. I collected my two from a local reptile store in Streatham, London (J G Reptiles). They had been kept together for several years in the hope they were a pair, but I don't think this was the case. In hindsight they were probably both female. 

Below: Blue tongued skink doing an impression of Yoda. We like this one!

I parted with them in the end and regretted it ever since. I had long been on the look out for more examples but during the last 15+ years they have become rarer than the proverbial hens' teeth! There are almost none in the UK, they are like gold dust. You can source examples on the continent, but even they are in limited supply. 

After many hours of searching and discussing with various people, I finally located what is probably the only breeder of E.cunninghami in the UK. This species produces live young in relatively small numbers, which probably goes some way to explaining why they practically died out in the space of two decades. 

This helpful chap didn't have any babies available and when he did I was not in a position to buy. We stayed in contact, however, and he put me on the trail of two adult examples, which had been living in an out of the way reptile shop up north for the last three years (they were CB 2009). This business did not advertise stock on the internet, but in any event he had just kept them as pets in the store. One day he received a call from me and was convinced to sell. 

Now this was fortunate enough, but beyond knowing they had grown up together and always got on like a house on fire, I had no way of confirming the sexes. Skinks are notoriously difficult to sex and short of seeing the hemipenes ejected you need to observe behaviour or hope for examples with typically feminine or masculine appearances. The vendor always assumed  his  two were a pair. On arrival I sized them up and one was slightly bigger and broader in the skull and back, but not significantly. Hemipenal transillumination (effectively shining a bright LED through the base of the tail to highlight internal structures, see pic below) did not reveal any obvious hemipenes. The tails were simply too full of pigment. Besides I think this technique is extremely unreliable! The principle is shown below but I have proven it doesn't work. 

Shortly after I made this great find, I was googling for E.cunninghami and noticed a wanted advert re the same species. The individual had only just created an RFUK (Reptile Forums UK) account and this was his first post. It was a very strange coincidence as adverts re this species occur literally years apart. I contacted him asking more re the nature of his interest and established he owned a lone male and had been unable to locate a mate. After discussing reptiles for a while I advised my skinks were not for sale, but offered to purchase his. My initial offer was rebuffed but after further consideration he agreed to sell. The animal was far from cheap but I knew this was my best chance of establishing a breeding group that could potentially produce offspring the following year. This animal also had two advantages - it was definitely male (hemipenes and sperm plugs had been seen on several occasions) and was very tame, which is a significant bonus with regard to this species. 

On arrival the physical difference between this fella and the two upstairs was marked. His head was far broader and deeper; he had a chunkier appearance, thicker tail and basically looked every bit a male skink. I read a reptile book back in the early 90s, which suggested male E.cunninghami tend to have more salmon coloured spots or flecks on their throats. I haven't read this anywhere else since but it was interesting to note that on close inspection the animal in front of me had definite salmon coloured speckles on the throat. The other two had far less or none but I don't think this is an indication of gender at all. He was also a much deeper, darker black than them, but this doesn't indicate gender and just made him more attractive! He was an extremely impressive animal and worth every penny. 

So it was time to introduce him to the vivarium inhabitants - something that  must be done very carefully indeed. Skinks don't need much incentive to fight and same sexes generally fight worst of all. They will fiercely defend their territory against intruders - male vs male aggression tending to be more pronounced. Introducing adult Egernia species is very difficult and it is generally recommended to raise a colony together from a very young age. 

I carefully opened the door and, as usual, the two skinks fled towards their log hide. The large male began to taste his surroundings and immediately headed in the same direction. I watched carefully as he entered the hide and froze.........nothing for seconds, minutes even. Suddenly the top of the hide burst open as a skink exited at warp speed and stopped suddenly, held by the jaws of the new male. He had clamped on to its leg and I felt compelled to intervene. The grip was gentle enough and relinquished without fuss. I watched as he followed the skink, of sex unknown, around the tank - sniffing and tasting their body. He proceeded to nip their tail, flank and neck. It was clear this was not a merciless onslaught and also clear that the skink was not retaliating. They opened their mouth slightly but never attempted to bite him or escape. 

Things were tense in the enclosure for about a day, while the others kept a low profile and the new male established himself as group leader. He found a favourite basking spot and sleeping hide, hogged the food dish and generally put his weight about. At no time did the other skinks attack him or show a united front. Bear in mind they had lived together since birth and, with E.cunninghami being a colonial species, would be more likely to try and drive a single animal away than vice versa.

Over the coming days the other skinks came out and basked within close proximity of the new boss. Everything stayed calm. As the week progressed the others were soon basking with him (or at least underneath!). To cut a long story short – peace reigned. It truly appeared that all the skinks had accepted each other and agreed to form a group. I have heard many stories re the difficulties of introducing adult Egernia, but I had got away with it! If there are going to be problems then you see them very quickly. If an animal is under threat it does not relax and cuddle up near the warmth with an enemy.

My own theory, as to why it was almost too easy, is that the two skinks living together for three years were both female (best to be optimistic eh!).  The male had lived alone since birth (about 5 years). His initial display was sexual and designed to announce himself to the females he suddenly found in his midst. Being a colonial species he was more than happy to find others of his kind. Likewise the others knew he was male and did not feel unduly threatened as a consequence. 

Take a look at the picture above showing the definite male (right) and an unknown on the left. These two have the same SVL (snout vent length) and the difference in head size is obvious. I am told by Dr Adam Stow (Egernia cunninghami expert from Macquarie  University in Australia) that males have bigger heads than females, but it can be subtle and you often need a male and female with the same SVL for the difference to be obvious. In fact Dr Stow has a paper referencing head size under review at the moment: Hughes, C; Repaci, VP, Stow AJ. "Large male head size does not confer a reproductive advantage in the sexually dimorphic cunningham's skink". (In review). 

I have heard the reports of keepers never being able to introduce adults harmoniously and was certainly concerned by the prospect. All three skinks were sexually mature and same sexes could have caused big problems. 

Only time will tell, but the success of this introduction hopefully bodes well for the future. The reality is that they could just as easily be three males!! Let's hope that is not the case.

As an interesting aside the flighty twosome are now much more relaxed and seem to wait for signals from the new leader. He is a calm animal and can be handled with ease. It is unusual for him to flee when people approach the vivarium, so the others see no threat. Thus far his presence has been nothing but positive. 

Above: Blue mountains, south eastern Australia.

Update 09/08/2015 - All three were male. Amazing that I was lucky enough to avoid fighting but there was no point keeping them all. Two were sold (not the largest, most impressive animal,as that is my son's pet) and a definite female will arrive from Germany at the end of 2015. We will see how that goes.