He -- or is it she? -- is believed to be the first lizard of its kind to have come to these shores.

About six inches long, with an orange head and bronze body, the five line Florida skink made its passage here yesterday on a ship's container.

And, were it not for the eagle eyes of Hamilton docks worker Mr. Shawn Perott, Jackie may have escaped undetected.

Mr. Perott, an employee with Stevedoring Services, found Jackie hiding at the back of the container as he prepared to unload it.

"I saw it run into a corner, but did not touch it because I thought it might be poisonous. You can never be too careful,'' he said.

"I called my boss and I think he rang Agriculture and Fisheries.'' Mr. Perott added: "When I first saw it, I thought it might be a snake.'' Jackie is now destined for a spell in quarantine at Bermuda's Aquarium Museum and Zoo.

Head zoo-keeper Mr. James Conyers said Jackie could then be used for "educational purposes.'' Mr. Conyers said the five line skink was similar to the increasingly rare Bermuda rock lizard.

"This is the first one reported on the Island,'' he said.

He explained the skink had claws, and was a ground dweller which fed on mites, ants and other small insects.

Helping Mr. Conyers Christen Jackie was Government veterinarian Dr. Neil Burnie.

"At this stage we don't know whether Jackie is male or female. Jackie is a good neutral name,'' said Dr. Burnie.