| Spondylurus monitae | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Family: | Scincidae |
| Genus: | Spondylurus |
| Species: | S. monitae |
| Binomial name | |
| Spondylurus monitae | |
The Monito skink (Spondylurus monitae) is a species of skink found on Monito Island in Puerto Rico. [2]
The monito del monte or colocolo opossum, Dromiciops gliroides, also called chumaihuén in Mapudungun, is a diminutive marsupial native only to southwestern South America. It is the only extant species in the ancient order Microbiotheria, and the sole New World representative of the superorder Australidelphia. The species is nocturnal and arboreal, and lives in thickets of South American mountain bamboo in the Valdivian temperate rain forests of the southern Andes, aided by its partially prehensile tail. It eats primarily insects and other small invertebrates, supplemented with fruit.
The Monito gecko is a lizard, a species of gecko endemic to the island of Monito, in the archipelago of Puerto Rico.
The Anguilla Bank skink(Spondylurus powelli) was discovered in the Caribbean with 20 other reptile species and was immediately listed as an endangered species. The population of this lizard has been decreasing due to the introduction of the mongoose, which was originally imported to control rats in sugarcane fields, and now is an invasive species to the Caribbean Islands. Many of the newly added skink species discovered along with S. powelli are facing extinction for the same reason. Skinks are unique and perhaps at a disadvantage among lizards as they produce a human-like placenta and have live birth. The average gestation period is suggested at one year and may be the cause for the skinks being an easy target to the mongoose, since they are larger and slower when pregnant. Other types of human activity, along with the deforestation in the Caribbean, are thought to have decreased overall species numbers, as well.
Spondylurus is a genus of lizards in the family Scincidae. The genus Spondylurus, vernacularly known as the Antillean four-lined skinks, is a neotropical skink taxon including many species.
The Anegada skink is a species of skink found on Anegada in the British Virgin Islands.
The Caicos Islands skink is a species of skink found in the Turks and Caicos Islands.
The Culebra skink is a species of skink found on Culebra and on Culebrita, an uninhabited island off Culebra, in Puerto Rico.
The Jamaican skink is a species of skink found in Jamaica.
The greater Saint Croix skink is a species of skink found on Saint Croix in the United States Virgin Islands.
The Mona skink is a species of skink found on Isla de Mona in Puerto Rico.
The Turks Islands skink is a species of skink found in the Turks and Caicos Islands.
The Hispaniolan ten-lined skink is a species of skink endemic to Hispaniola.
The Carrot Rock skink is a species of skink found on Carrot Rock in the British Virgin Islands.
The Puerto Rican skink is a species of skink found in Puerto Rico.
The Lesser Virgin Islands skink is a species of skink found in the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.
The Greater Virgin Islands skink is a species of skink found in the United States Virgin Islands.
Spondylurus sloanii, also known commonly as Sloane's skink or the Virgin Islands bronze skink, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is native to the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.
