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

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

of skink, a lizard in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Scincidae. The species is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

to the western half of Australia. It is a burrowing lizard and extremely social.

Etymology

The specific name, ''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'' 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 The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory shares its borders with Western Aust ...

, and dispersed slightly throughout most of

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

. As the common name suggests, it is a desert reptile, living in burrows. 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.
/ref>

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