Species of lizard
The
Bermuda skink
,
longnose skink
, or
(Bermuda) rock lizard
(
Plestiodon longirostris
)
[2]
[3]
is a
critically endangered
species and the only
endemic
land-living
vertebrate
of
Bermuda
.
[4]
It is a relatively small
skink
(a kind of
lizard
): adults reach an average snout-to-vent length of about 8 cm (3.1 in).
Description
[
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]
Adult Bermuda skinks (also known as "rock lizards") have dark brown or black backs and are pinkish or light gray on the underside. Juveniles are lighter in color and have black stripes running along the sides of their bodies, which fade with age. Females are thought to retain the stripes longer than males. Adult males have larger heads. Hatchlings have bright blue tails. All have salmon orange cheeks and throat.
The Bermuda skink lives predominantly in rocky coastal areas. They feed on small
invertebrates
such as
cockroaches
or
woodlice
, but also on small terrestrial
crustaceans
.
While being more active during summer, the Bermuda skink does not
hibernate
, because the frost free winters allow it to be active year-round.
Distribution
[
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]
The species occurs only in Bermuda, and exists mainly on some of the smaller islands and nature reserves on the mainland, where the populations are fragmented into isolated pockets.
Conservation
[
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]
The Bermuda skink has been listed on the
IUCN Red List
as
critically endangered
. It is threatened primarily by
habitat destruction
,
predators
introduced by humans (such as
cats
,
rats
,
American crows
,
chickens
,
great kiskadees
,
yellow-crowned night herons
,
cane toads
and
anoles
), as well as by human litter: the Bermuda skink has tiny
claws
on its feet, but no friction pads, and when it gets trapped in cast-away empty glass bottles or soda cans, it cannot climb out and thus starves or dies of heat stress or dehydration.
The Bermuda skink is listed as protected under the 2003 Bermuda Protected Species Act.
Chester Zoo
is attempting to increase numbers of the skink with its own
captive breeding program
.
[5]
References
[
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]
External links
[
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]