Ghost Skink

About the Ghost Skink

The ghost skink (Eremiascincus phantasmus) is a species of skink endemic to Australia. The Eremiascincus genus of skinks is characterised by their nocturnal and fossorial habit. These adaptations lead to them mostly inhabiting ecosystems consisting of loose substrate such as sand dunes and sandy plains. It is a nocturnal forager, consuming mostly insects. Skinks of this genus are referred to as 'sand-swimmers' referring to their ability to move easily through sand.

Eremiascincus mostly feed on insects such as moths, termites, beetles, grasshoppers, and spiders but they also consume some small reptile species such as geckos or smaller skinks. They are crepuscular or nocturnal foragers, and forage on the surface of loose substrates.

E. phantasmus is oviparous with clutch sizes ranging from 2-7 eggs. In 2013 Sven Mecke, Paul Doughty and Stephen Charles Donnellan examined variation in morphology of the Eremiascincus fasciolatus, providing clarification on four different species, and providing the description and clarification of diagnostic features for E. phantasmus as a distinct species.

Eric Worrell is thought to be the first author to use the colloquial... Wikipedia →