Leeway Corucia Research Center (LCRC)


Hello,

In regards to a 2004 paper on Corucia: Understanding the relationship between body temperature and activity patterns in the Solomon Islands skink Corucia zebrata (underlined) as a contribution to the effect of captive breeding programs, some aspects of the paper are of puzzling interest. The authors (Mann,Meek) discuss differences in body temperature and thermoregulation with Corucia in situations of sunny conditions as well as dappled sunlight. The fact is that Corucia zebrata (underlined) is generally a crepuscular species, although they can be quite nocturnal as well. Corucia, in our experience, will tend to stay in the shadows or go into hides during the day -especially in bright sunlight. Sharp showers will bring them out but on bright days, they do not bask in the open. It was curious to see that they used this Genus for a study on themoregulation since they are a high canopy rainforest species of little variation in surrounding temperature or photopatterns in their native environment. In less than ideal captive conditions of variable zones in temperature, Corucia have been reported to move to the closest heat source or soak in a bowl of water that has been put in, if it is warmer than the surrounding non-ideal temperature of the enclosure. However,in the Solomon archipelago, there should be no need for thermoregulation. Since an ideal simulation of the natural environment is the desired goal of any Corucia captive breeding program, variation in temperature conditions within an enclosure or exposure to full sun would not be conducive to benefitting Corucia.

Sincerely,
Brian
LCRC

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