SKINK

any of about 1,275 species of lizards constituting the family Scincidae. They are represented throughout the world's tropics (and in temperate regions of North America) but are especially diverse in Southeast Asia and associated islands. Skinks are typically cylindrical in shape and have cone-shaped heads and long, tapering tails. They reach a maximum length of about 66 cm (26 inches), and most remain under 20 cm. Most species are secretive ground dwellers or burrowers and may show such adaptations as a transparent (window) scale in place of the movable lower eyelid, so that the animal can see and still protect its eyes from rough particles while burrowing. Other species of skinks may have such peculiarities as reduced or absent limbs and sunken eardrums. Some species are arboreal (tree climbers) or somewhat aquatic. Skinks eat insects and similar small invertebrates; large species are herbivorous. Some species lay eggs, while others give birth to fully developed young. The more common skinks include keeled skinks (Tropidophorus), which are semiaquatic and are found from Southeast Asia to northern Australia. Mabuyas (Mabuya), with about 105 species, are ground dwellers and are distributed worldwide in the tropics. Sand skinks (Scincus), also called sandfish, are burrowers with fringes of scales on their claws; they are native to the deserts of North Africa and southern Asia. Slender skinks (Lygosoma), of which there are about 300 species, have thick tails and reduced legs; their eyelids are often partially transparent. They are found throughout the Old World tropics. Snake-eyed skinks (Ablepharus) are extremely variable in colour and are the only skinks with a fixed plate (spectacle) in place of a movable eyelid; they are worldwide in the tropics. Most of the approximately 60 species of striped skinks (Eumeces; see ) have longitudinal stripes; they are the dominant genus of skinks in north temperate regions but are absent from Europe.