The first reported study of the life history of these lizards suggested that the animals were semelparous; that is, the young hatched in late summer, grew to adult size rapidly (by late autumn-early winter), mated the following spring, and died within one year of birth (Smith 1994). Some adults must live longer than one year, however, as recaptures from a previous year have been documented in subsequent studies (Langston 1996, Nelson et al. 1996). Females are oviparous, and have been found gravid in both spring and early summer, with the eggs laid in late spring or early summer (Langston 1996). Clutches of two females have both contained 5 eggs (Langston 1996) and clutches laid in 5 artificial burrows contained 3-6 eggs (Nelson, pers. comm.). Other species in the genus lay between 5 and 12 eggs per clutch (Greer 1989). The eggs are laid in shallow nests, and take 9-12 weeks to develop before hatching (Langston 1996). The young possibly disperse soon after hatching, as lizards as small as 0.4 g and 20-25 mm SVL are caught in pit-fall traps in late summer to early autumn (Smith 1994). No information is available concerning either hatching success, juvenile mortality or over-winter survival in the field.

Tympanocryptis pinguicolla has been reported to be torpid in winter (Brereton and Backhouse 1993), but active individuals have been observed above ground in mid-June (Cooper, pers. obs.), and individuals have been trapped in pits in August in the ACT (Benson 1996). This suggests that individuals can be active throughout the year, whenever weather conditions are appropriate for activity. On-going research is aimed at determining preferred body temperatures and field body temperatures of the lizard at various times of the year.

Individual adult animals have been shown to move as much as 40 m per day (Langston 1996), with some movements in excess of 230 m over longer periods. Nothing is known about movements of juveniles, although this stage may be when dispersal occurs. Movement patterns of juveniles may be the most important observation necessary for understanding the area requirements for success of populations. Population density may be influenced by social interactions, as aggressive encounters between individual lizards, involving vocalisations and displays, have been observed in captive animals (Smith 1994) and in the field (Nelson, pers. comm.). Such interactions may also influence dispersal patterns.

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