Swinkee was a male sand lizard with a bright yellow stomach who lived in the dunes near Salamandastron. He had a taste for live swampworms and marshflies. After Mara and Pikkle Ffolger slept in his cave and accidentally pulled his tail off, as well as enlarged the cave, he was very angry with them.
However, for a short time, he became an unreliable ally and guide before handing them over to cannibal toads in exchange for his favorite foods from the leader, King Glagweb.