Snail skink
| Snail skink | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Snail skink ( Hemisphaeriodon gerrardii ) |
||||||||||||
| Systematics | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
| Scientific name of the genus | ||||||||||||
| Hemisphaeriodon | ||||||||||||
| Peters , 1867 | ||||||||||||
| Scientific name of the species | ||||||||||||
| Hemisphaeriodon gerrardii | ||||||||||||
| ( Gray , 1845) |
The snail skink ( Hemisphaeriodon gerrardii , syn .: Tiliqua gerrardi ), also called pink tongue skink or snail blue tongue skink , is a large skinkart from eastern Australia .
description
The snail skink reaches a length of 40 cm, with the tail making up about half of the total length. It has a silver-gray to brownish basic color. Numerous dark brown transverse bands can be seen on the back . The ventral side and the side parts of his head are gray, yellowish, orange or slightly pink in color. A striking feature that distinguishes it well from the bluetongue hamburgers ( Tiliqua ) is the pink tongue.
The species is crepuscular and can also climb low plants with the help of its strong claws and very agile tail.
distribution
The snail skink occurs in eastern Australia. The distribution area extends from Gosford (north of Sydney ) in the state of New South Wales to Cape York at the north end of Queensland . Here he lives as a ground dweller in semi-moist and dry forests.
nutrition
The snail skink feeds mainly on snails (slugs and shell snails ). He cracks the snail shell by taking the shell snail in its mouth and hitting the ground sideways. He also eats all kinds of insects , their larvae and spiders.
Reproduction
The sexual maturity is reached at 1.5 years. The mating season begins in spring or after the winter rest . Males often chase sexually mature females for days until they are ready to mate. During mating, the male bites into the neck or below one of the female's front legs. The gestation lasts about 5 months. The female is viviparous and gives birth to 7 to 25 young animals. They are 6 to 10 cm at birth and have black transverse bands on a light brown to reddish background.
literature
- Manfred Rogner: Echsen 1 , Ulmer Verlag, ISBN 3-8001-7248-8