Skinks Species Spotlight

You can meet these magically unique reptiles at Orlando Science Center!

Fantastic Beasts: Where to Find Them

Say hello to our new and unique reptiles at Orlando Science Center — Gryffin, Puff, Raven, and Sly, four prehensile-tailed skinks who have found a new forever home.

They don’t have their own broomsticks yet, so they flew to us via airplane all the way from California. They were confiscated by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service in a wildlife trafficking incident. Their bewitching good looks make this species a popular target for the pet trade. Gryffin, Raven, and Sly were collected in the Solomon Islands (located north of Australia) and illegally brought into the United States before being found by wildlife authorities.

Following their rescue, Raven gave birth to Puff!

These reptiles lay their eggs inside their body, and the young hatch within the parent’s body. A group of skinks is called a circulus and all of the adults in the circulus help to raise the baby. Puff seems to prefer spending most of their time with Sly, the other adult female. We are especially excited to watch Puff grow into an adult skink!

When the skinks were first rescued, they were underweight and fighting off a parasite infection. They have been under the care of our animal experts, and we are happy to report that our veterinarian now deems them to be in excellent health! We are honored to provide a forever home and quality care to these big lizards with a big story!

When you’re at the Science Center, ask a member of our team about when you can be introduced to these magically unique creatures during an animal meet and greet session.