[00:00.00]Islands are a topsy-turvy world,
[00:02.90]where evolution seems to follow a different set of rules.
[00:06.23]North of New Caledonia lies the Solomon Islands archipelago,
[00:10.54]a scattering of a thousand tropical islands.
[00:13.61]For the select few animals that arrived here,
[00:16.80]these were brave new worlds, filled with possibilities.
[00:21.02]And to make the most of what they found here,
[00:23.47]some adopted a whole new way of life.
[00:26.35]Among the successful colonists were skinks
[00:30.12]- lizards that are usually small with short legs.
[00:34.34]Quite a variety live here in the Solomons,
[00:37.15]but there is one in these forests that's unlike any other skink on the planet.
[00:42.47]The monkey-tailed skink is up to 50 times heavier than your average skink,
[00:48.08]and is the world's largest.
[00:50.21]Most skinks spend their lives on the ground, but not this monster.
[00:54.71]This is the only skink to possess a prehensile tail
[00:58.27]and unlike nearly all other skinks which dine on insects,
[01:01.70]this gentle giant is entirely vegetarian.