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Skink

September 27, 2023

This article is about the reptile. For other uses, see Skink (disambiguation).

Skinks are lizards belonging to the family Scincidae, a family in the infraorder Scincomorpha. With more than 1,500 described species across 100 different taxonomic genera, the family Scincidae is one of the most diverse families of lizards. Skinks are characterized by their smaller legs in comparison to typical lizards and are found in different habitats except arctic and subarctic regions.[1][2]

Skink
Temporal range: Paleocene - Recent
Eastern blue-tongued lizard
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Superfamily: Scincoidea
Family: Scincidae
Gray, 1825
Subfamilies

For genera, see text.

Description Edit

Skinks look like lizards of the family Lacertidae (sometimes called true lizards), but most species of skinks have no pronounced neck and relatively small legs. Several genera (e.g., Typhlosaurus) have no limbs at all. This is not true for all skinks, however, as some species such as the red-eyed crocodile skink have a head that is very distinguished from the body. These lizards also have legs that are relatively small proportional to their body size.

Skinks' skulls are covered by substantial bony scales, usually matching up in shape and size, while overlapping.[3] Other genera, such as Neoseps, have reduced limbs and fewer than five toes (digits) on each foot. In such species, their locomotion resembles that of snakes more than that of lizards with well-developed limbs. As a general rule, the longer the digits, the more arboreal the species is likely to be. A biological ratio can determine the ecological niche of a given skink species. The Scincidae ecological niche index (SENI) is a ratio based on anterior foot length at the junction of the ulna/radius-carpal bones to the longest digit divided by the snout-to-vent length.[4]

Most species of skinks have long, tapering tails they can shed if predators grab onto them. Such species generally can regenerate the lost part of a tail, though imperfectly. A lost tail can grow back within around three to four months.[5] Species with stumpy tails have no special regenerative abilities.

Some species of skinks are quite small; Scincella lateralis typically ranges from 7.5 to 14.5 cm (3 to 5+3⁄4 in), more than half of which is the tail.[6] Most skinks, though, are medium-sized, with snout-to-vent lengths around 12 cm (4+1⁄2 in), although some grow larger; the Solomon Islands skink (Corucia zebrata) is the largest known extant species and may attain a snout-to-vent length of some 35 cm (14 in).

Skinks can often hide easily in their habitat because of their protective colouring (camouflage).[7]

Blood color Edit

Skinks in the genus Prasinohaema have green blood because of a buildup of the waste product biliverdin.[8]

History Edit

The word skink, which entered the English language around 1580–90, comes from classical Greek skinkos and Latin scincus, names that referred to various specific lizards.[9]

Skink-like lizards first appear in the fossil record about 140 million years ago, during the early Cretaceous, mostly in the form of jawbones that appear very skink-like. Definitive skink fossils appear later, during the Miocene period.[10][11]

Skink genera known from fossils include the following:[12]

Behavior Edit

A trait apparent in many species of skink is digging and burrowing. Many spend their time underground where they are mostly safe from predators, sometimes even digging out tunnels for easy navigation. They also use their tongues to sniff the air and track their prey. When they encounter their prey, they chase it down until they corner it or manage to land a bite and then swallow it whole. They can be voracious hunters.

Diet Edit

Skinks are generally carnivorous and in particular insectivorous. Typical prey include flies, crickets, grasshoppers, beetles, and caterpillars. Various species also eat earthworms, millipedes, centipedes, snails, slugs, isopods (woodlice etc), moths, small lizards (including geckos), and small rodents. Some species, particularly those favored as home pets, are omnivorous and have more varied diets and can be maintained on a regimen of roughly 60% vegetables/leaves/fruit and 40% meat (insects and rodents).[13] Both species of the Genus Tristiidon are mainly frugivorous, but occasionally eat moss and insects.

Breeding Edit

 
Trachylepis maculilabris mating

Although most species of skinks are oviparous, laying eggs in clutches, some 45% of skink species are viviparous in one sense or another. Many species are ovoviviparous, the young (skinklets) developing lecithotrophically in eggs that hatch inside the mother's reproductive tract, and emerging as live births.

In some genera, however, such as Tiliqua and Corucia, the young developing in the reproductive tract derive their nourishment from a mammal-like placenta attached to the female – unambiguous examples of viviparous matrotrophy.[14] Furthermore, an example recently described in Trachylepis ivensi is the most extreme to date: a purely reptilian placenta directly comparable in structure and function, to a eutherian placenta.[15] Clearly, such vivipary repeatedly has developed independently in the evolutionary history of the Scincidae and the different examples are not ancestral to the others. In particular, placental development of whatever degree in lizards is phylogenetically analogous, rather than homologous, to functionally similar processes in mammals.[14]

Nesting Edit

Skinks typically seek out environments protected from the elements, such as thick foliage, underneath man-made structures, and ground-level buildings such as garages and first-floor apartments. When two or more skinks are seen in a small area, it is typical to find a nest nearby. Skinks are considered to be territorial and often are seen standing in front of or "guarding" their nest area. If a nest is nearby, one can expect to see 10-30 lizards within the period of a month. In parts of the southern United States, nests are commonly found in houses and apartments, especially along the coast. The nest is where the skink lays its small white eggs, up to 4-8 at a time.[16]

Habitat Edit

 
Cape skink native to South Africa

Skinks are very specific in their habitat as some can depend on vegetation while others may depend on land and the soil.[17] As a family, skinks are cosmopolitan; species occur in a variety of habitats worldwide, apart from boreal and polar regions. Various species occur in ecosystems ranging from deserts and mountains to grasslands.

Many species are good burrowers. More species are terrestrial or fossorial (burrowing) than arboreal (tree-climbing) or aquatic species. Some are "sand swimmers", especially the desert species, such as the mole skink or sand skink in Florida. Some use a very similar action in moving through grass tussocks. Most skinks are diurnal (day-active) and typically bask on rocks or logs during the day.

Predators Edit

Raccoons, foxes, possums, snakes, coatis, crows, cats, dogs, herons, hawks, lizards, and other predators of small land vertebrates also prey on various skinks. This can be troublesome, given the long gestation period for some skinks, making them an easy target to predators such as the mongoose, which often threaten the species to at least near extinction, such as the Anguilla Bank skink. Invasive rodents are a major threat to skinks that have been overlooked, especially tropical skinks.[18]

Skinks are also hunted for food by indigenous peoples in New Guinea, including by the Kalam people in the highlands of Madang Province, Papua New Guinea.[19]

Genetics Edit

Genomic architecture Edit

Despite making up 15% of reptiles, skinks have a relatively conserved chromosome number, between 11 and 16 pairs.[20] Skink genomes are typically about 1.5Gb, approximately 1/2 the size of the human genome. The Christmas Island blue-tailed skink (Cryptoblepharus egeriae) was sequenced in 2022, representing the first skink reference genome.[21]

Sex determination systems Edit

Skinks were long thought to have both genetic sex determination (GSD) and temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD). Despite having sex chromosomes that are not distinguishable with a microscope, all major skink lineages share an old XY system that is >80 million years old.[22] These X and Y specific regions are highly divergent and contain multiple chromosomal rearrangements and repetitive sequences.[21]

Genera Edit

Many genera, Mabuya for example, are still insufficiently studied, and their systematics are at times controversial, see for example the taxonomy of the western skink, Eumeces skiltonianus. Mabuya in particular, is being split, many species being allocated to new genera such as Trachylepis, Chioninia, and Eutropis.

Subfamily Acontinae (limbless skinks; 30 species in 2 genera)[23]

Subfamily Egerniinae (social skinks; 63 species in 9 genera)[24]

Subfamily Eugongylinae (eugongylid skinks; 455 species in 50 genera)[25]

Subfamily Lygosominae (lygosomid skinks; 56 species in 6 genera)[26]

Subfamily Mabuyinae (mabuyid skinks; 25 genera)[27]

Subfamily Sphenomorphinae (sphenomorphid skinks; 591 species in 41 genera)[28]

Subfamily Scincinae (typical skinks; 294 species in 35 genera)[29]

Gallery Edit

References Edit

  1. ^ Mecke, Doughty & Donnellan (2013). "Redescription of Eremiascincus fasciolatus (Günther, 1867) (Reptilia: Squamata: Scincidae) with clarification of its synonyms and the description of a new species" (PDF). Zootaxa. 3701 (5): 473–517. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3701.5.1. PMID 26191600.
  2. ^ "Skink | lizard". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2019-05-06.
  3. ^ Grzimek, Bernhard (1975). Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia Volume 6 Reptiles. New York, NY: Van nostrand reinhold company. p. 242.
  4. ^ Schnirel, Brian (2004). "SENI biometric analysis on the extinct Scincidae species: Macroscincus coctei". Polyphemos, Volume 1, Issue 2, May, Florence, South Carolina. pp. 12–22.
  5. ^ "10 Creatures That Conveniently Grow Back Body Parts". TreeHugger. Retrieved 2019-05-06.
  6. ^ "Species Profile: Ground Skink (Scincella lateralis) | SREL Herpetology". srelherp.uga.edu. Retrieved 2019-05-06.
  7. ^ "Skink Facts". www.softschools.com. Retrieved 2019-05-06.
  8. ^ Malhotra, Anita. "Some lizards have green blood that should kill them – and scientists can't work out why". The Conversation. Retrieved 2019-05-06.
  9. ^ "the definition of skink". www.dictionary.com. Retrieved 2019-05-06.
  10. ^ Scientific American — Skinks, Skinks, Skinks
    Fossils indicate skinks as a whole are a fairly old group of lizards, the oldest specimens attributed to the group dating to the Lower Cretaceous. The vast majority of early fossil representatives of the group consists of jaw fragments alone. These are certainly from skink-like lizards (from the major lizard group termed Scincomorpha), but they might not all be from skinks proper, and some have been suggested to actually represent other groups (like the armadillo lizards or cordylids, a scincomorph group that also has a possible Cretaceous fossil record). Definite fossil members of modern groups – like blue-tongued skinks – are present in the Miocene.
  11. ^ Estes, Richard (1983). Sauria Terrestria, Amphisbaenia. Handbuch der Paläoherpetologie, Part 10A [Sauria Terrestria, Amphisbaenia. Handbook of Paleoherpetology, Part 10A.] (in German). Stuttgart and New York: Gustav Fischer Verlag. ISBN 978-3-89937-026-3.
  12. ^ "Scincidae Gray 1825". Paleobiology Database. Fossilworks. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  13. ^ McLeod, Lianne. "Keeping Blue Tongued Skinks as Pets". Retrieved 2006-08-27.
  14. ^ a b Justin L. Rheubert; Dustin S. Siegel; Stanley E. Trauth (19 December 2014). Reproductive Biology and Phylogeny of Lizards and Tuatara. CRC Press. pp. 548–. ISBN 978-1-4665-7987-3.
  15. ^ Blackburn, D. G.; Flemming, A. F. (2011). "Invasive implantation and intimate placental associations in a placentotrophic African lizard, Trachylepis ivensi (Scincidae)". Journal of Morphology. 273 (2): 137–59. doi:10.1002/jmor.11011. PMID 21956253. S2CID 5191828.
  16. ^ "Amazing Facts about the Common Garden Skink | OneKindPlanet Animals". OneKindPlanet. Retrieved 2019-05-06.
  17. ^ Cabrelli, Abigail (August 2017). "Assessing the vulnerability of Australian skinks to climate change". Climate Change. 130 (2): 223–233. doi:10.1007/s10584-015-1358-6. S2CID 153428168 – via Energy & Power Source.
  18. ^ Thibault, Martin (2017). "Invasive rodents, an overlooked threat for skinks in a tropical island hotspot of biodiversity". New Zealand Journal of Ecology. 41: 1–10. doi:10.20417/nzjecol.41.9.
  19. ^ Bulmer, RNH (1975). Kalam Classification Of Reptiles And Fishes. Journal of the Polynesian Society 84(3): 267–308.
  20. ^ Giovannotti, M.; Caputo, V.; O'Brien, P. C. M.; Lovell, F. L.; Trifonov, V.; Cerioni, P. Nisi; Olmo, E.; Ferguson-Smith, M. A.; Rens, W. (2009). "Skinks (Reptilia: Scincidae) have highly conserved karyotypes as revealed by chromosome painting". Cytogenetic and Genome Research. 127 (2–4): 224–231. doi:10.1159/000295002. ISSN 1424-859X. PMID 20215726.
  21. ^ a b Dodge, Tristram O.; Farquharson, Katherine A.; Ford, Claire; Cavanagh, Lisa; Schubert, Kristen; Schumer, Molly; Belov, Katherine; Hogg, Carolyn J. (2023). "Genomes of two Extinct‐in‐the‐Wild reptiles from Christmas Island reveal distinct evolutionary histories and conservation insights". Molecular Ecology Resources: 1755–0998.13780. doi:10.1111/1755-0998.13780. ISSN 1755-098X.
  22. ^ Kostmann, Alexander; Kratochvíl, Lukáš; Rovatsos, Michail (2021-01-27). "Poorly differentiated XX/XY sex chromosomes are widely shared across skink radiation". Proceedings. Biological Sciences. 288 (1943): 20202139. doi:10.1098/rspb.2020.2139. ISSN 1471-2954. PMC 7893288. PMID 33468012.
  23. ^ Uetz, P.; Freed, P.; Hošek, J. (eds.). "Acontinae". The Reptile Database. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  24. ^ Uetz, P.; Freed, P.; Hošek, J. (eds.). "Egerniinae". The Reptile Database. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  25. ^ Uetz, P.; Freed, P.; Hošek, J. (eds.). "Eugongylinae". The Reptile Database. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
  26. ^ Uetz, P.; Freed, P.; Hošek, J. (eds.). "Lygosominae". The Reptile Database. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  27. ^ Uetz, P.; Freed, P.; Hošek, J. (eds.). "Mabuyinae". The Reptile Database. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
  28. ^ Uetz, P.; Freed, P.; Hošek, J. (eds.). "Sphenomorphinae". The Reptile Database. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  29. ^ Uetz, P.; Freed, P.; Hošek, J. (eds.). "Scincinae". The Reptile Database. Retrieved 10 October 2019.

Sources Edit

  • De Vosjoli, Philippe (1993) Prehensile-Tailed Skinks. Advanced Vivarium Systems. ISBN 1-882770-24-2
  • Hedges, S. Blair and Caitlin E. Conn. 2012. A new skink fauna from Caribbean islands (Squamata, Mabuyidae, Mabuyinae). Zootaxa 3288.

External links Edit

 
Wikispecies has information related to Scincidae.
 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Scincidae.
  • Scincidae at The Reptile Database
  • Skink Gallery and Information
  • , KingSnake.com (Wayback Machine)

September 27, 2023
skink, this, article, about, reptile, other, uses, disambiguation, lizards, belonging, family, scincidae, family, infraorder, scincomorpha, with, more, than, described, species, across, different, taxonomic, genera, family, scincidae, most, diverse, families, . This article is about the reptile For other uses see Skink disambiguation Skinks are lizards belonging to the family Scincidae a family in the infraorder Scincomorpha With more than 1 500 described species across 100 different taxonomic genera the family Scincidae is one of the most diverse families of lizards Skinks are characterized by their smaller legs in comparison to typical lizards and are found in different habitats except arctic and subarctic regions 1 2 SkinkTemporal range Paleocene RecentEastern blue tongued lizardScientific classificationDomain EukaryotaKingdom AnimaliaPhylum ChordataClass ReptiliaOrder SquamataSuperfamily ScincoideaFamily ScincidaeGray 1825SubfamiliesAcontinae limbless skinks Egerniinae social skinks Eugongylinae Lygosominae Mabuyinae Scincinae typical skinks SphenomorphinaeFor genera see text Contents 1 Description 1 1 Blood color 2 History 3 Behavior 3 1 Diet 3 2 Breeding 3 3 Nesting 4 Habitat 5 Predators 6 Genetics 6 1 Genomic architecture 6 2 Sex determination systems 7 Genera 8 Gallery 9 References 9 1 Sources 10 External linksDescription EditSkinks look like lizards of the family Lacertidae sometimes called true lizards but most species of skinks have no pronounced neck and relatively small legs Several genera e g Typhlosaurus have no limbs at all This is not true for all skinks however as some species such as the red eyed crocodile skink have a head that is very distinguished from the body These lizards also have legs that are relatively small proportional to their body size Skinks skulls are covered by substantial bony scales usually matching up in shape and size while overlapping 3 Other genera such as Neoseps have reduced limbs and fewer than five toes digits on each foot In such species their locomotion resembles that of snakes more than that of lizards with well developed limbs As a general rule the longer the digits the more arboreal the species is likely to be A biological ratio can determine the ecological niche of a given skink species The Scincidae ecological niche index SENI is a ratio based on anterior foot length at the junction of the ulna radius carpal bones to the longest digit divided by the snout to vent length 4 Most species of skinks have long tapering tails they can shed if predators grab onto them Such species generally can regenerate the lost part of a tail though imperfectly A lost tail can grow back within around three to four months 5 Species with stumpy tails have no special regenerative abilities Some species of skinks are quite small Scincella lateralis typically ranges from 7 5 to 14 5 cm 3 to 5 3 4 in more than half of which is the tail 6 Most skinks though are medium sized with snout to vent lengths around 12 cm 4 1 2 in although some grow larger the Solomon Islands skink Corucia zebrata is the largest known extant species and may attain a snout to vent length of some 35 cm 14 in Skinks can often hide easily in their habitat because of their protective colouring camouflage 7 Blood color Edit Skinks in the genus Prasinohaema have green blood because of a buildup of the waste product biliverdin 8 History EditThe word skink which entered the English language around 1580 90 comes from classical Greek skinkos and Latin scincus names that referred to various specific lizards 9 Skink like lizards first appear in the fossil record about 140 million years ago during the early Cretaceous mostly in the form of jawbones that appear very skink like Definitive skink fossils appear later during the Miocene period 10 11 Skink genera known from fossils include the following 12 Aethesia Aocnodromeus Axonoscincus Ayalasaurus BerruvaEgernia GekkomimusLygosoma Orthoscincus OrthrioscincusParotosaurus Penemabuya Proegernia SauriscusSphenomorphusTiliquaBehavior EditA trait apparent in many species of skink is digging and burrowing Many spend their time underground where they are mostly safe from predators sometimes even digging out tunnels for easy navigation They also use their tongues to sniff the air and track their prey When they encounter their prey they chase it down until they corner it or manage to land a bite and then swallow it whole They can be voracious hunters Diet Edit Skinks are generally carnivorous and in particular insectivorous Typical prey include flies crickets grasshoppers beetles and caterpillars Various species also eat earthworms millipedes centipedes snails slugs isopods woodlice etc moths small lizards including geckos and small rodents Some species particularly those favored as home pets are omnivorous and have more varied diets and can be maintained on a regimen of roughly 60 vegetables leaves fruit and 40 meat insects and rodents 13 Both species of the Genus Tristiidon are mainly frugivorous but occasionally eat moss and insects Breeding Edit nbsp Trachylepis maculilabris matingAlthough most species of skinks are oviparous laying eggs in clutches some 45 of skink species are viviparous in one sense or another Many species are ovoviviparous the young skinklets developing lecithotrophically in eggs that hatch inside the mother s reproductive tract and emerging as live births In some genera however such as Tiliqua and Corucia the young developing in the reproductive tract derive their nourishment from a mammal like placenta attached to the female unambiguous examples of viviparous matrotrophy 14 Furthermore an example recently described in Trachylepis ivensi is the most extreme to date a purely reptilian placenta directly comparable in structure and function to a eutherian placenta 15 Clearly such vivipary repeatedly has developed independently in the evolutionary history of the Scincidae and the different examples are not ancestral to the others In particular placental development of whatever degree in lizards is phylogenetically analogous rather than homologous to functionally similar processes in mammals 14 Nesting Edit Skinks typically seek out environments protected from the elements such as thick foliage underneath man made structures and ground level buildings such as garages and first floor apartments When two or more skinks are seen in a small area it is typical to find a nest nearby Skinks are considered to be territorial and often are seen standing in front of or guarding their nest area If a nest is nearby one can expect to see 10 30 lizards within the period of a month In parts of the southern United States nests are commonly found in houses and apartments especially along the coast The nest is where the skink lays its small white eggs up to 4 8 at a time 16 Habitat Edit nbsp Cape skink native to South AfricaSkinks are very specific in their habitat as some can depend on vegetation while others may depend on land and the soil 17 As a family skinks are cosmopolitan species occur in a variety of habitats worldwide apart from boreal and polar regions Various species occur in ecosystems ranging from deserts and mountains to grasslands Many species are good burrowers More species are terrestrial or fossorial burrowing than arboreal tree climbing or aquatic species Some are sand swimmers especially the desert species such as the mole skink or sand skink in Florida Some use a very similar action in moving through grass tussocks Most skinks are diurnal day active and typically bask on rocks or logs during the day Predators EditRaccoons foxes possums snakes coatis crows cats dogs herons hawks lizards and other predators of small land vertebrates also prey on various skinks This can be troublesome given the long gestation period for some skinks making them an easy target to predators such as the mongoose which often threaten the species to at least near extinction such as the Anguilla Bank skink Invasive rodents are a major threat to skinks that have been overlooked especially tropical skinks 18 Skinks are also hunted for food by indigenous peoples in New Guinea including by the Kalam people in the highlands of Madang Province Papua New Guinea 19 Genetics EditGenomic architecture Edit Despite making up 15 of reptiles skinks have a relatively conserved chromosome number between 11 and 16 pairs 20 Skink genomes are typically about 1 5Gb approximately 1 2 the size of the human genome The Christmas Island blue tailed skink Cryptoblepharus egeriae was sequenced in 2022 representing the first skink reference genome 21 Sex determination systems Edit Skinks were long thought to have both genetic sex determination GSD and temperature dependent sex determination TSD Despite having sex chromosomes that are not distinguishable with a microscope all major skink lineages share an old XY system that is gt 80 million years old 22 These X and Y specific regions are highly divergent and contain multiple chromosomal rearrangements and repetitive sequences 21 Genera EditMany genera Mabuya for example are still insufficiently studied and their systematics are at times controversial see for example the taxonomy of the western skink Eumeces skiltonianus Mabuya in particular is being split many species being allocated to new genera such as Trachylepis Chioninia and Eutropis Subfamily Acontinae limbless skinks 30 species in 2 genera 23 Acontias 25 species Typhlosaurus 5 species Subfamily Egerniinae social skinks 63 species in 9 genera 24 Bellatorias 3 species Corucia 1 species Cyclodomorphus 9 species Egernia 17 species Liopholis 12 species Lissolepis 2 species Tiliqua 7 species Tribolonotus 10 species Subfamily Eugongylinae eugongylid skinks 455 species in 50 genera 25 Ablepharus 18 species Acritoscincus 3 species Alpinoscincus 2 species Anepischetosia 1 species Austroablepharus 3 species Caesoris 1 species Caledoniscincus 14 species Carinascincus 8 species Carlia 46 species Celatiscincus 2 species Cophoscincopus 4 species Cryptoblepharus 53 species Emoia 78 species Epibator 3 species Eroticoscincus 1 species Eugongylus 5 species Geomyersia 2 species Geoscincus 1 species Graciliscincus 1 species Harrisoniascincus 1 species Kanakysaurus 2 species Kuniesaurus 1 species Lacertaspis 5 species Lacertoides 1 specie Lampropholis 14 species Leiolopisma 4 species Leptosiaphos 18 species Liburnascincus 4 species Lioscincus 2 species Lobulia 8 species Lygisaurus 14 species Marmorosphax 5 species Menetia 5 species Morethia 8 species Nannoscincus 12 species Nubeoscincus 2 species Oligosoma 53 species Panaspis 21 species Phaeoscincus 2 species Phasmasaurus 2 species Phoboscincus 2 species Proablepharus 2 species Pseudemoia 6 species Pygmaeascincus 3 species Saproscincus 12 species Sigaloseps 6 species Simiscincus 1 species Tachygia 1 species Techmarscincus 1 species Tropidoscincus 3 species Subfamily Lygosominae lygosomid skinks 56 species in 6 genera 26 Haackgreerius 1 species Lamprolepis 3 species Lygosoma 16 species Mochlus 18 species Riopa 9 species Subdoluseps 8 species Subfamily Mabuyinae mabuyid skinks 25 genera 27 Alinea 2 species Aspronema 2 species Brasiliscincus 3 species Capitellum 3 species Chioninia 7 species Copeoglossum 5 species Dasia 10 species Eumecia 2 species Eutropis 48 species Exila 1 species Heremites 3 species Lubuya 1 species Mabuya 9 species Manciola 1 species Maracaiba 2 species Marisora 13 species Notomabuya 1 species Otosaurus 1 species Panopa 2 species Psychosaura 2 species Spondylurus 17 species Toenayar 1 species Trachylepis 87 species Varzea 2 species Vietnascincus 1 species Subfamily Sphenomorphinae sphenomorphid skinks 591 species in 41 genera 28 Anomalopus 4 species Calorodius 1 species Calyptotis 4 species Coeranoscincus 2 species Coggeria 1 species Concinnia 7 species Ctenotus 103 species Eremiascincus 15 species Eulamprus 5 species Fojia 1 species Glaphyromorphus 11 species Gnypetoscincus 1 species Hemiergis 7 species Insulasaurus 4 species Isopachys 4 species Kaestlea 5 species Lankascincus 10 species Larutia 9 species Leptoseps 2 species Lerista 97 species Lipinia 28 species Nangura 1 species Notoscincus 2 species Ophioscincus 3 species Ornithuroscincus 9 species Orosaura 1 species Palaia 1 species Papuascincus 4 species Parvoscincus 24 species Pinoyscincus 5 species Praeteropus 4 species Prasinohaema 5 species Protoblepharus 3 species Ristella 4 species Saiphos 1 species Scincella 38 species Sepsiscus 1 species Silvascincus 2 species Sphenomorphus 113 species Tropidophorus 29 species Tumbunascincus 1 species Tytthoscincus 23 species Subfamily Scincinae typical skinks 294 species in 35 genera 29 Amphiglossus 2 species Ateuchosaurus 2 species Barkudia 2 species Brachymeles 42 species Brachyseps 8 species Chalcides 32 species Chalcidoseps 1 species Eumeces 6 species Eurylepis 2 species Feylinia 6 species Flexiseps 15 species Gongylomorphus 3 species Grandidierina 4 species Hakaria 1 species Janetaescincus 2 species Jarujinia 1 species Madascincus 12 species Melanoseps 8 species Mesoscincus 3 species Nessia 9 species Ophiomorus 12 species Pamelaescincus 1 species Paracontias 14 species Plestiodon 50 species Proscelotes 3 species Pseudoacontias 4 species Pygomeles 3 species Scelotes 22 species Scincopus 1 species Scincus 5 species Scolecoseps 4 species Sepsina 5 species Sepsophis 1 species Typhlacontias 7 species Voeltzkowia 3 species Gallery Edit nbsp Female skink with eggs nbsp Indian skink nbsp Skink found in Sri Lanka nbsp Skink in Australia nbsp Eastern blue tongued lizard nbsp Land mullet Albany Western AustraliaReferences Edit Mecke Doughty amp Donnellan 2013 Redescription of Eremiascincus fasciolatus Gunther 1867 Reptilia Squamata Scincidae with clarification of its synonyms and the description of a new species PDF Zootaxa 3701 5 473 517 doi 10 11646 zootaxa 3701 5 1 PMID 26191600 Skink lizard Encyclopedia Britannica Retrieved 2019 05 06 Grzimek Bernhard 1975 Grzimek s Animal Life Encyclopedia Volume 6 Reptiles New York NY Van nostrand reinhold company p 242 Schnirel Brian 2004 SENI biometric analysis on the extinct Scincidae species Macroscincus coctei Polyphemos Volume 1 Issue 2 May Florence South Carolina pp 12 22 10 Creatures That Conveniently Grow Back Body Parts TreeHugger Retrieved 2019 05 06 Species Profile Ground Skink Scincella lateralis SREL Herpetology srelherp uga edu Retrieved 2019 05 06 Skink Facts www softschools com Retrieved 2019 05 06 Malhotra Anita Some lizards have green blood that should kill them and scientists can t work out why The Conversation Retrieved 2019 05 06 the definition of skink www dictionary com Retrieved 2019 05 06 Scientific American Skinks Skinks Skinks Fossils indicate skinks as a whole are a fairly old group of lizards the oldest specimens attributed to the group dating to the Lower Cretaceous The vast majority of early fossil representatives of the group consists of jaw fragments alone These are certainly from skink like lizards from the major lizard group termed Scincomorpha but they might not all be from skinks proper and some have been suggested to actually represent other groups like the armadillo lizards or cordylids a scincomorph group that also has a possible Cretaceous fossil record Definite fossil members of modern groups like blue tongued skinks are present in the Miocene Estes Richard 1983 Sauria Terrestria Amphisbaenia Handbuch der Palaoherpetologie Part 10A Sauria Terrestria Amphisbaenia Handbook of Paleoherpetology Part 10A in German Stuttgart and New York Gustav Fischer Verlag ISBN 978 3 89937 026 3 Scincidae Gray 1825 Paleobiology Database Fossilworks Retrieved 17 December 2021 McLeod Lianne Keeping Blue Tongued Skinks as Pets Retrieved 2006 08 27 a b Justin L Rheubert Dustin S Siegel Stanley E Trauth 19 December 2014 Reproductive Biology and Phylogeny of Lizards and Tuatara CRC Press pp 548 ISBN 978 1 4665 7987 3 Blackburn D G Flemming A F 2011 Invasive implantation and intimate placental associations in a placentotrophic African lizard Trachylepis ivensi Scincidae Journal of Morphology 273 2 137 59 doi 10 1002 jmor 11011 PMID 21956253 S2CID 5191828 Amazing Facts about the Common Garden Skink OneKindPlanet Animals OneKindPlanet Retrieved 2019 05 06 Cabrelli Abigail August 2017 Assessing the vulnerability of Australian skinks to climate change Climate Change 130 2 223 233 doi 10 1007 s10584 015 1358 6 S2CID 153428168 via Energy amp Power Source Thibault Martin 2017 Invasive rodents an overlooked threat for skinks in a tropical island hotspot of biodiversity New Zealand Journal of Ecology 41 1 10 doi 10 20417 nzjecol 41 9 Bulmer RNH 1975 Kalam Classification Of Reptiles And Fishes Journal of the Polynesian Society 84 3 267 308 Giovannotti M Caputo V O Brien P C M Lovell F L Trifonov V Cerioni P Nisi Olmo E Ferguson Smith M A Rens W 2009 Skinks Reptilia Scincidae have highly conserved karyotypes as revealed by chromosome painting Cytogenetic and Genome Research 127 2 4 224 231 doi 10 1159 000295002 ISSN 1424 859X PMID 20215726 a b Dodge Tristram O Farquharson Katherine A Ford Claire Cavanagh Lisa Schubert Kristen Schumer Molly Belov Katherine Hogg Carolyn J 2023 Genomes of two Extinct in the Wild reptiles from Christmas Island reveal distinct evolutionary histories and conservation insights Molecular Ecology Resources 1755 0998 13780 doi 10 1111 1755 0998 13780 ISSN 1755 098X Kostmann Alexander Kratochvil Lukas Rovatsos Michail 2021 01 27 Poorly differentiated XX XY sex chromosomes are widely shared across skink radiation Proceedings Biological Sciences 288 1943 20202139 doi 10 1098 rspb 2020 2139 ISSN 1471 2954 PMC 7893288 PMID 33468012 Uetz P Freed P Hosek J eds Acontinae The Reptile Database Retrieved 10 October 2019 Uetz P Freed P Hosek J eds Egerniinae The Reptile Database Retrieved 10 October 2019 Uetz P Freed P Hosek J eds Eugongylinae The Reptile Database Retrieved 10 September 2020 Uetz P Freed P Hosek J eds Lygosominae The Reptile Database Retrieved 10 October 2019 Uetz P Freed P Hosek J eds Mabuyinae The Reptile Database Retrieved 10 September 2020 Uetz P Freed P Hosek J eds Sphenomorphinae The Reptile Database Retrieved 10 October 2019 Uetz P Freed P Hosek J eds Scincinae The Reptile Database Retrieved 10 October 2019 Sources Edit De Vosjoli Philippe 1993 Prehensile Tailed Skinks Advanced Vivarium Systems ISBN 1 882770 24 2 Hedges S Blair and Caitlin E Conn 2012 A new skink fauna from Caribbean islands Squamata Mabuyidae Mabuyinae Zootaxa 3288 External links Edit nbsp Wikispecies has information related to Scincidae nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Scincidae Scincidae at The Reptile Database Skink Gallery and Information Skinks of Australia KingSnake com Wayback Machine Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Skink amp oldid 1166202486, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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