Good News For Endangered USVI Skinks

U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS — Caribbean skinks might soon get the respect and protection they deserve. Skinks are a type of lizard found only in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. And they're not doing so well. Skinks are facing extinction due to predators (cats, mongoose, rats), climate change, and habitat destruction.

In 2014, the Center for Biological Diversity asked the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to protect skinks, but the Service delayed action. The Center for Biological Diversity then sued the Fish and Wildlife Service for dragging its feet on the issue.

The good news: the two organizations have reached an agreement that requires the Service to make endangered species decisions for eight rare species of skink by Dec. 12, 2024.

“Help is on the horizon for the rapidly vanishing lizards of the Caribbean islands,” said Elise Bennett, an attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity. “Rampant development and predators introduced by people have driven these fascinating skinks to the brink of extinction. And they face rising seas and storms of increasing intensity in the future. Endangered Species Act protection is the best chance we have to save them from the mounting threats to their survival.”

Caribbean skinks are not big. They max out at 8 inches long. Caribbean skinks are not especially cute. They have been described as looking like "stubby snakes with legs." But skinks are unique among reptiles because they have reproductive systems most like humans, including a placenta and they give live birth.

Unfortunately, all species of skinks are considered critically endangered or endangered under the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species.

Two species of skinks might have Jeffrey Epstein to blame. The lesser Virgin Islands skink (Spondylurus semitaeniatus) and the Virgin Islands bronze skink (S. sloanii) are believed to be found on Great St. James. Jeffrey Epstein purchased the island in 2016 and since some of his construction took place without government permits, there is concern over the fate of the animals native to the island.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service could make a decision earlier than 2024 to extend "endangered" status to the skinks. And hopefully, it will.

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