Bedriaga's Skink

About the Bedriaga's Skink

Chalcides bedriagai, commonly known as Bedriaga's skink, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to the Iberian Peninsula. It usually lives in sandy areas with sparse vegetation and good ground cover. It can also live in open woodland and burrow into loose soil. Females of the species give birth to live young. This skink is active during day and dusk, and it is very timid. It may reach about 16 cm (6.3 in) in total length (including tail), and it has five digits on each foot. It preys on insects, spiders, slugs, and woodlice.

Both the specific name, bedriagai, and the common name, Bedriaga's skink, are in honor of Russian herpetologist Jacques von Bedriaga. Bedriaga's skink resembles a scaled-down version of the ocellated skink (Chalcides ocellatus). It has a small head, an elongated cylindrical body and short limbs with five digits on each foot. It measures up to 17 cm (7 in) in total length, at least half of which may be the fairly broad tail. Females are usually larger than males, and in both sexes the tail may sometimes be broken off or in the process of regeneration. There are 24 to 28 scales around the mid-body.... Wikipedia →