Food and foraging behaviour of the lizard Ctenotus taeniolatus

A sample of 261 Ctenotus taeniolatus revealed that this species of skink is principally insectivorous, the most common foods being lepidopteran and coleopteran larvae, orthopterans and formicids. The occurrence of these foods in the diet followed seasonal patterns. The prey of adults and juveniles did not differ qualitatively, although adults were capable of eating a greater diversity of prey sizes than juveniles. Lizards used both sit-and-wait and active foraging strategies, with adults and juveniles exhibiting these behaviours in different ratios.