Chalcides ocellatus

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Chalcides ocellatus
Gongylus occelatus.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Scincidae
Genus: Chalcides
Species:
C. ocellatus
Binomial name
Chalcides ocellatus
(Forsskål, 1775)

Chalcides ocellatus, or the ocellated skink (also known as the eyed skink or gongilo [2] ) is a species of skink found in Greece, southern Italy, Malta, Lebanon, and parts of northern Africa. [3] [4] [5] UAE, Israel, [6] It is also found in Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka.

Contents

Chalcides ocellatus Chalcides ocellatus-01 (xndr).jpg
Chalcides ocellatus

Description

As an adult, it generally reaches about 15 to 30 cm (6 to 12 in) of length with a 22 to 39 g weight [7] and has a small head, cylindrical body, and five toes on each foot. They are very agile and are often found in arid areas. [8] It is strongly related to Chalcides colosii , and C. colosii was formerly considered a subspecies of C. ocellatus. [9] C. ocellatus is notable for the presence of ocelli and for its wide variety of coloration patterns. Females of the species give birth to 2-6 live young through viviparity.

Chalcides ocellatus is considered to be a generalist species and can be found in a wide variety of environments, such as farmland and gravel deserts around the Mediterranean coast. Its main escape tactic from predators is to run behind vegetation, most likely because it is not suited to run very fast. Although this species has very smooth scales and is capable of "sand-swimming" behavior in loose sand or soil, [10] its limbs are not specifically adapted for fossorial movement. [11]

Diet

Ocellated skinks are primarily insectivorous. In the wild they have been recorded to eat a wide variety of insects, including locusts, crickets, ants, beetles, isopods, spiders, centipedes, and insect larvae. However, they are also known to occasionally eat small lizards, including their own young, [12] and the tails of young lizards are a regular finding in the stomach contents of Chalcides ocellatus. [13]

In captivity, ocellated skinks can be primarily fed on insect prey, but they also take certain commercial diets as well as occasional wet cat/dog food. Ocellated skinks are also known to eat small amounts of plant matter, such as finely chopped greens, flowers, and fruits.

Related Research Articles

<i>Chalcides</i> Genus of reptiles

Chalcides is a genus of skinks.

<i>Pseuderemias</i> Genus of lizards

Pseuderemias is a genus of lizards of the family Lacertidae. Common names for the genus are false sand lizards or racerunners.

<i>Chalcides bedriagai</i> Species of lizard

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, and it has five digits on each foot. It preys on insects, spiders, slugs, and woodlice.

<i>Chalcides colosii</i> Species of lizard

Chalcides colosii, also known commonly as the Riffian skink and Colosi's cylindrical skink, is a moderate-sized species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is native to Morocco and some Spanish territories in northwestern Africa. It is named after Giuseppe Colosi, former director of the Zoological Institute of the University of Florence. It has been considered a subspecies of Chalcides ocellatus. The females of the species give birth to live young.

<i>Chalcides ebneri</i> Species of lizard

Chalcides ebneri, also known commonly as Ebner's cylindrical skink, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to Morocco.

<i>Chalcides lanzai</i> Species of lizard

Chalcides lanzai, or Lanza's skink, is a species of skink, a lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to Morocco.

The wedge-snouted skink is a common and widespread species of skink in the family Scincidae. It is found in Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Libya, and the Palestinian territories. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland, freshwater springs, hot deserts, and sandy shores. S. sepsoides is a viviparous species, and it is nocturnal during the summer and diurnal during the winter.

The Qattara gecko is a species of lizard in the family Phyllodactylidae.

Chalcides ragazzii, commonly called Ragazzi's cylindrical skink, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to Africa.

<i>Trachylepis quinquetaeniata</i> Species of lizard

The African five-lined skink, sometimes called rainbow mabuya, is a species of African skink in the subfamily Lygosominae. T. margaritifera is also known as the rainbow skink.

<i>Eremiascincus richardsonii</i> Species of lizard

The broad-banded sand-swimmer or Richardson's skink is a species of skink found in Australia.

References

  1. ↑ Wilms, T.; Wagner, P.; Niagate, B.; Els, J.; Egan, D.M.; Amr, Z.S.S.; Al Johany, A.M.H.; Behbehani, S.J.Y.; Eid, E.K.A.; Sindaco, R.; Baha El Din, S.; El Mouden, E.H.; Mateo, J.A.; Orlov, N.L.; Wilkinson, J.; Cogălniceanu, D.; Aghasyan, A.; Lymberakis, P.; Tuniyev, B.; Ananjeva, N.B.; Slimani, T.; Joger, U.; Geniez, P.; Tok, C.V.; Shestopal, A.; Dujsebayeva, T.; Nuridjanov, D.; Golynsky, E.; Borkin, L.; Milto, K.; Papenfuss, T. (2021). "Chalcides ocellatus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2021: e.T157283A748508. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-3.RLTS.T157283A748508.en . Retrieved 21 February 2022.
  2. ↑ Digimorph from the NSF Library at UT-Austin, Chalcides ocellatus
  3. ↑ Amphibians and Reptiles of Europe
  4. ↑ Arikan, et al.. "An Investigation on the Blood-Serum Proteins of Chalcides ocellatus (Sauria: Scincidae) Populations from Southern Anatolia." Archived July 17, 2011, at the Wayback Machine Tr. J. Zool. 22 (1998) 175-177.
  5. ↑ Baha el Din, Sherif (2006). A Guide to Reptiles & Amphibians of Egypt. Cairo: The American University in Cairo Press. ISBN   978-9774249792.
  6. ↑ @EliShlezinger (23 October 2018). "נחושית עינונית נשרפה היום בשמורת גברעם. כ-120 דונם על האש. צווי כיבוי בסיוע 2 מטוסים ושופל השיגו שליטה. היום פרצו…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  7. ↑ ARKive
  8. ↑ "Fauna Import UK". Archived from the original on 2004-08-10. Retrieved 2007-11-11.
  9. ↑ Schleich, Hans-Hermann, et al.. Amphibians and Reptiles of North Africa: Biology, Systematics, Field Guide. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1996.
  10. ↑ Catena, Angeline M.; Hembree, Daniel I. (2014-09-25). "Swimming through the substrate: the neoichnology of Chalcides ocellatus and biogenic structures of sand-swimming vertebrates". Palaeontologia Electronica. 17 (3): 1–19. doi: 10.26879/463 . ISSN   1094-8074.
  11. ↑ Omar Attum, Perri Eason and Gary Cobbs. "Morphology, niche segregation, and escape tactics in a sand dune lizard community", Journal of Arid Environments 68:4, 564-573 March 2007
  12. ↑ Vladimír Cerha, Miroslav Kocián, Scinkové, varani a ještěrky, Polaris, Frenštát p.R., p. 85
  13. ↑ "Sharing resources in a tiny Mediterranean island? Comparative diets of Chalcides ocellatus and Podarcis filfolensis in Lampione | Request PDF". ResearchGate. Retrieved 2021-09-21.


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