Great desert skink

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Great desert skink
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Scincidae
Genus: Liopholis
Species:
L. kintorei
Binomial name
Liopholis kintorei
(Stirling & Zietz, 1893)
Synonyms [2]
  • Egernia kintorei
    Stirling & Zietz, 1893
  • Egernia dahlii
    Boulenger, 1896
  • Egernia kintorei
    — Glauert, 1960
  • Liopholis kintorei
    — Gardner et al., 2008

The great desert skink (Liopholis kintorei or Egernia kintorei), also known as Kintore's egernia and by various names including tjakura in various Aboriginal Australian languages, is a species of skink, a lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to the western half of Australia. It is a burrowing lizard and extremely social.

Contents

Etymology and variant names

The species is known as Liopholis kintorei or Egernia kintorei. [3] The specific name, kintorei, is in honour of Algernon Keith-Falconer, 9th Earl of Kintore, a British politician who was a colonial governor of South Australia. [4]

The common name of the skink is great desert skink. [5]

Aboriginal Australian names for the skink include tjakura, mulyamiji, tjalapa, warrana (also spelt warrarna [3] ), and nampu. [6]

Description

The great desert skink is a medium-sized skink,[ citation needed ] reaching an average snout-to-vent length (SVL) of 19–20 cm (7.5–7.9 in), weighing around 350 g (12 oz). [6] It has smooth, small, glossy scales and is mostly rust-coloured on the top of the body, with the belly a vanilla colour. It has relatively large circular eyes and a short snout.[ citation needed ]

They can be distinguished from Egernia striolata because they have more labials and more pointed ear lobules. [7]

Taxonomy

L. kintorei is a species of skink, a lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to the western half of Australia. [5]

Distribution and habitat

The species is endemic to the western half of Australia, [5] occurring almost exclusively on Aboriginal land. [6] L. kintorei is native to the southwestern quarter of the Northern Territory (NT), dispersed slightly throughout most of Western Australia (WA), [8] and the northwestern corner of South Australia (SA). [3]

As the common name suggests, it is a desert reptile, living in burrows. The burrows can extend up to 12 m (39 ft) in length, and can have as many as 20 entrances. [8]

Behaviour

Researchers found in 2011 that out of over 5,000 species of lizards documented, this species was said to have "unique" behaviour among them with regard to their cooperative behaviour. Individuals of the great desert skink work in cooperation with one another to build and take care of their burrows, even digging out specific rooms for use as a defecatorium. Mates are faithful to one another and always mate with the same lizard, although 40 percent of males have been documented to mate with other females. The tunnels are mostly excavated by adults, while juvenile lizards contribute small "pop" holes to the system. DNA analysis has shown that immature lizards live in the same burrow with their siblings, regardless of age difference. The study, carried out in the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, also revealed that all immature lizards were full siblings in 18 of 24 burrow systems. Researchers confirmed that the lizards are family-based and keep the juveniles in the tunnel system until they mature. [8]

They hibernate in winter (May/mid-June to September/October). [3]


Diet

Tjakura is omnivorous and can be considered an opportunist generalist as it consumes a diverse range of invertebrates and plants supplemented at least occasionally with small vertebrate prey items. Culicidae (mosquitos) and Termitidae (termites) are the most frequently consumed. Tjakura actively forage both during the day and at night. [9]

Conservation status

The great desert skink, or tjakura, is a threatened species, [6] listed as a vulnerable species under the federal EPBC Act, NT and WA legislation, and on the IUCN Red List. It is listed as endangered in South Australia. [3] It used to be a source of food for desert-dwelling Aboriginal peoples inhabiting central Australia, but since the colonisation of Australia, introduced pests such as foxes and feral cats have decimated the population. [6]

In March 2023, the first survey in a new National Recovery Plan for the great desert skink led by Indigenous rangers from across the Northern Territory, Western Australia, and South Australia was carried out. The rangers will continue to survey and collect data on the skink. [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skink</span> Family of reptiles

Skinks are lizards belonging to the family Scincidae, a family in the infraorder Scincomorpha. With more than 1,500 described species across 100 different taxonomic genera, the family Scincidae is one of the most diverse families of lizards. Skinks are characterized by their smaller legs in comparison to typical lizards and are found in different habitats except arctic and subarctic regions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cunningham's spiny-tailed skink</span> Species of lizard

Cunningham's spiny-tailed skink, also known commonly as Cunningham's skink, is a species of large skink, a lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is native to southeastern Australia.

Anomalopus mackayi, commonly known as the five-clawed worm skink, long-legged worm skink, and Mackay's burrowing skink, is a species of smooth-scaled burrowing skink, a lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to eastern Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White's skink</span> Species of lizard

White's skink, also known commonly as White's rock skink, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to Australia.

<i>Liopholis</i> Genus of lizards

Liopholis is a genus of skinks, lizards in the family Scincidae. Species of the genus are found in the Australian region. They were previously placed in the genus Egernia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stokes's skink</span> Species of lizard

Egernia stokesii is a gregarious species of lizard of the Scincidae family. This diurnal species is endemic to Australia, and is also known as the Gidgee skink, spiny-tailed skink, Stokes's skink and Stokes's egernia. The species forms stable, long-term social aggregations, much like the social groups seen in mammalian and avian species. This characteristic is rarely found in the Squamata order, but is widespread within the Australian subfamily of Egerniinae skinks. Populations of E. stokesii are widely distributed, but fragmented, and occur in semi-arid environments. There are three recognised subspecies. The conservation status for the species is listed as least concern, however, one subspecies is listed as endangered.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tree-crevice skink</span> Species of lizard

The tree-crevice skink or tree skink (Egernia striolata) is a species of skink, a lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to Australia and is found in the states of Victoria, the Northern Territory, Queensland, New South Wales and South Australia. E. striolata tend to live in crevices and cracks in hollow logs or rocks. They greatly prefer heterogeneous and structurally diverse habitats and their behavior changes depending on the habitat they live in.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern mourning skink</span> Species of lizard

The eastern mourning skink, also known commonly as Coventry's spinytail skink and the swamp skink, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hosmer's spiny-tailed skink</span> Species of lizard

Hosmer's spiny-tailed skink, also known commonly as Hosmer's egernia and Hosmer's skink, is a species of large skink, a lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is a diurnal, rock-dwelling species native to Northern Australia.

Egernia douglasi, also known commonly as the Kimberley crevice-skink, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to Australia.

The eastern crevice-skink is a species of large skink, a lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is native to eastern Australia.

The Snowy Mountains skink or guthega skink, alpine egernia is a species of skink, a lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to southeastern Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Desert egernia</span> Species of lizard

The desert egernia, unadorned desert-skink or desert skink is a species of skink, a lizard in the family Scincidae. The desert egernia is endemic to the continent of Australia, and is widespread, with populations recorded in all mainland states and territories except the Australian Capital Territory. The desert egernia is found in dry, desert areas with deep, uncompacted sandy/loamy soils and little significant vegetation cover.

The Flinder's Ranges rock-skink or Centralian Ranges rock-skink is a species of skink, a lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to central Australia.

The Eastern Ranges rock-skink is a species of skink, a lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to eastern Australia.

The montane rock-skink, mountain egernia or mountain skink is a species of skink, a lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to southeastern Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bull skink</span> Species of lizard

The bull skink, southern sand-skink or southern heath skink is a species of terrestrial skink, a lizard in the family Scincidae. It is one of eleven species within the Liopholis genus.

Slater's desert skink, also known commonly as the Centralian Floodplains desert-skink, Slater's egernia, and Slater's skink, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to Australia. There are two recognized subspecies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Night skink</span> Species of lizard

The night skink, nocturnal desert-skink or striated egernia is a species of skink, a lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to western Australia.

<i>Lerista timida</i> Australian species of skink

Lerista timida, the dwarf three-toed slider or wood mulch-slider, is a species of skink found in Australia. Other common names for the species include timid slider and dwarf burrowing skink. The skink is a member of the Lerista genus which are confined to continental Australia and are mostly a burrowing species of skink. The genus consists of consists elongated, smooth-scaled, Fossorial lizards that are specialized for life in the upper soils and dry leaf litter through which they slide using Lateral undulation as a form of locomotive action, giving rise to their nickname as sliders. They normally emerge of a night-time to hunt for small Invertebrates such as ants, termites and insects. If disturbed, they dive immediately into any loose substrate to avoid predation, this behavior leaves behind a distinctive disrupted wavy track that often found on sandy flats or dunes, roads and tracks.

References

  1. ↑ Paltridge, R.; Catt, G.; Cowan, M.; Gaikhorst, G.; How, R.; Zichy-Woinarski, J.; Cogger, H.; Teale, R. (2018). "Liopholis kintorei". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2018: e.T7040A101743329. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-1.RLTS.T7040A101743329.en . Retrieved 15 November 2021.
  2. ↑ "Liopholis kintorei ". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Liopholis kintorei — Great Desert Skink, Tjakura, Warrarna, Mulyamiji". Species Profile and Threats Database . Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, Australian Government. 2023. Retrieved 26 March 2023. CC-BY icon.svg Text may have been copied from this source, which is available under a Attribution 3.0 Australia (CC BY 3.0 AU) licence.
  4. ↑ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN   978-1-4214-0135-5. (Egernia kintorei, p. 141).
  5. 1 2 3 Macdonald, Stewart (6 April 2018). "Great desert skink". Australian Reptile Online Database (AROD).
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Orr, Aleisha (26 March 2023). "How working to save a lizard is helping Indigenous rangers reclaim lost knowledge". SBS News. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  7. ↑ Storr, G.M. (1978). "The Genus Egernia (Lacertilia, Scincidae) in Western Australia" (PDF). WA Museum Records and Supplements. 6: 146–187.
  8. 1 2 3 "Cooperative Lizard Living". Reptiles Magazine. 1 December 2011. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  9. ↑ Thuo D; Macgregor A.N; Merson S.D; Scopel D; Keogh J.S; Kenny J; Williams J.L; Guest T; Shaeleigh S; McAlpin S; Joseph L (2024) Metabarcoding clarifies the diet of the elusive and vulnerable Australian tjakura (Great Desert Skink, Liopholis kintorei) https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2024.1354138

Further reading

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