Bermuda skink
Bermuda skink | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Order: | Squamata |
Family: | Scincidae |
Genus: | Plestiodon |
Species: | P. longirostris
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Binomial name | |
Plestiodon longirostris Cope, 1861
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Synonyms | |
Eumeces longirostris |
The Bermuda skink, longnose skink, or Bermuda rock lizard (Plestiodon longirostris)): adults reach an average snout-to-vent length of about 8 cm (3.1 in).
Description
Adult Bermuda skinks (also known as "rock lizards") have dark brown or black backs and are pinkish or light gray on the underside. Juveniles are lighter in color and have black stripes running along the sides of their bodies, which fade with age. Females are thought to retain the stripes longer than males. Adult males have larger heads. Hatchlings have bright blue tails. All have salmon orange cheeks and throat.
The Bermuda skink lives predominantly in rocky coastal areas. They feed on small
While being more active during summer, the Bermuda skink does not hibernate, because the frost free winters allow it to be active year-round.
Distribution
The species occurs only in Bermuda, and exists mainly on some of the smaller islands and nature reserves on the mainland, where the populations are fragmented into isolated pockets.
Conservation
The Bermuda skink has been listed on the
The Bermuda skink is listed as protected under the 2003 Bermuda Protected Species Act.
References
- . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
- ^ Smith, H.M. (2005). "Plestiodon: a replacement name for most members of the genus Eumeces in North America." Journal of Kansas Herpetology 14: 15–16.
- . Retrieved 12 November 2021. Database entry includes justification for why this species is critically endangered
- ^ the Chester Zoo was successful in breeding them for the first time in captivity on 9/09/2017 UK zoo creates a skink to save rare lizards (retrieved 11 August 2013)