Silhouette: David Orr · PhyloPic
Haacke's Legless Skink
Typhlosaurus braini
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassSquamata
- FamilyScincidae (Skinks)
- GenusTyphlosaurus
- SpeciesTyphlosaurus braini (Haacke's Legless Skink)
About the Haacke's Legless Skink
Haacke's legless skink (Typhlosaurus braini), also known commonly as Brain's legless skink and Brain's blind legless skink, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to Namibia. The specific name, braini, is in honor of paleontologist Charles Kimberlin Brain.
The preferred natural habitat of T. braini is desert, at altitudes of 50–400 m (160–1,310 ft). T. braini is limbless, slender, and uniformly light pink. Adults have a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of 15–20 cm (5.9–7.9 in). Having no limbs, T. braini "swims" in sand dunes, both under the surface and at the surface.
The diet of T. braini consists of termites and insect larvae. T. braini is viviparous. T. braini is preyed upon by the Namib golden mole (Eremitalpa granti namibensis). Broadley DG (1968). "A review of the African genus Typhlosaurus Wiegmann (Sauria: Scincidae)". Arnoldia (Rhodesia) 3 (36): 1–20.
Haacke WD (1964). "Description of two new species of lizards and notes on Fitzsimonsia brevipes (FitzSimons) from the central Namib desert". Scientific... Wikipedia →
Closest Relatives at Namib-Naukluft National Park
Meyer's Legless Skink
Typhlosaurus meyeri
Kalahari Tree Skink
Trachylepis spilogaster
Variegated Skink
Trachylepis variegata
Short Blind Dart Skink
Typhlacontias brevipes
Western Rock Skink
Trachylepis sulcata
Sharp-lipped Mabuya
Trachylepis acutilabris
Western three-striped skink
Trachylepis occidentalis
Hoesch's Mabuya
Trachylepis hoeschi
Karasburg Tree Skink
Trachylepis sparsa
Wahlberg’s Striped Skink
Trachylepis wahlbergii
Western Dwarf Burrowing Skink
Scelotes capensis
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Namib-Naukluft National Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia |
More parks will be added in future updates.