The great desert skink (''Liopholis kintorei''), also known commonly as Kintore's egernia, is a species of

skink 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. Ski ...

, a

lizard Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most oceanic island chains. The group is paraphyletic since it excludes the snakes and Amphisbaenia alt ...

in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to the western half of

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. It is a burrowing lizard and extremely social.

Etymology

The

specific name Specific name may refer to: * in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules: * Specific name (botany), the two-part (bino ...

, ''kintorei'', is in honor of

Algernon Keith-Falconer, 9th Earl of Kintore Algernon may refer to: * Algernon (name), a given name (includes a list of people and characters with the name) * Algernon Township, Custer County, Nebraska See also * Treaty of Algeron, an agreement signed by the United Federation of Planets and ...

, a British politician who was a colonial governor of South Australia.

Description

The great desert skink is a medium-sized skink, reaching an average snout-to-vent length (SVL) of 19 cm (about 7 in). It has smooth, small, glossy scales and is mostly rust-coloured on the top of the body, with the belly a vanilla color. It has relatively large circular eyes and a short snout. They can be distinguished from ''

Egernia striolata 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 Sout ...

'' because they have more labials and more pointed ear lobules.Storr, G.M. (1978). "The Genus Egernia (Lacertilia, Scincidae) in Western Australia" (PDF). ''WA Museum Records and Supplements''. 6: 146–187.

Distribution and habitat

''L. kintorei'' is native to the southwestern quarter of the Northern Territory, and dispersed slightly throughout most of Western Australia. As the common name suggests, it is a desert reptile, living in

burrow An Eastern chipmunk at the entrance of its burrow A burrow is a hole or tunnel excavated into the ground by an animal to construct a space suitable for habitation or temporary refuge, or as a byproduct of locomotion. Burrows provide a form of sh ...

s. The burrows can extend up to 12 meters (40 ft) in length, and can have as many as 20 entrances."Cooperative Lizard Living." ''Reptile Channel''. Retrieved 12 May 2011.
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Behaviour

Researchers have recently made a stunning discovery with regard to ''L. kintorei'' — out of over 5,000 species of lizards documented, this species has been said to have "unique" behavior among them. Individuals of the great desert skink appear to 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 have confirmed that the lizards are family-based and keep the juveniles in the tunnel system until they mature.

Etymology

Description

Distribution and habitat

Behaviour

References

Further reading