THEY may be cold-blooded, but Kyabram Fauna Park’s loved up lizard duo are warming hearts with their lifelong love story.
Hope and Winton, two Shingleback Lizards, have been a committed couple for years now – never straying too far from each other’s side.
Kyabram Fauna Park keeper, Courtney Snelson said as Shingleback Lizards are one of the only monogamous reptile species, the lizards will be together for life.
“Visitors can see Hope and Winton strolling around together, hanging underneath the logs, and digging under the ground in their recently renovated Skink Pit.
“Particularly during warmer days they’re very active being a very cute little couple.”
The Skink Pit has 10 lizards in total with a mix of Shingleback Lizards and Blotched Blue Tongue Lizards. When protecting Hope, sometimes Winton will challenge other males by pushing or nudging them.
“They have huge babies for their size – it would be equivalent to a human giving birth to a seven-year-old.”
Shingleback’s tails store fat, allowing them to survive for months without food after a good season. They have armour-like scales to help protect them from predators and harsh conditions, making them one of Australia’s hardiest lizards. They can live up to 50 years.
Visitors can come and see the happy couple at the Kyabram Fauna Park Skink Pit from 10am to 5pm daily.
