The terror skink (''Phoboscincus bocourti''), also called commonly Bocourt's terrific skink, Bocourt's eyelid skink and Bocourt's skink, 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 ...

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

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 elsew ...

to the

Île des Pins The Isle of Pines (french: Île des Pins; name in Kanak people, Kanak language Kwênyii: ') is an island in the Pacific Ocean, in the archipelago of New Caledonia, an overseas collectivity of France. The island is part of the commune in France, ...

(Isle of Pines), a small islet off the coast of

New Caledonia ) , anthem = "" , image_map = New Caledonia on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg , map_alt = Location of New Caledonia , map_caption = Location of New Caledonia , mapsize = 290px , subdivision_type = Sovereign st ...

. First described in 1876, the species was presumed to be

extinct Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...

, but was rediscovered in 1993, and since then several individuals have been seen. Because of its small area of occupation and small population size, the

International Union for Conservation of Nature The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

has assessed its conservation status as being " critically endangered".

Etymology

The specific name, ''bocourti'', is in honor of

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

zoologist Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the Animal, animal kingdom, including the anatomy, structure, embryology, evolution, Biological clas ...

Marie Firmin Bocourt Marie Firmin Bocourt (19 April 1819 – 4 February 1904) was a French zoologist and artist. As a young man, he worked as a preparateur for the zoologist Gabriel Bibron (1805–1848), later serving as a museum artist. In 1861, he was sent to Thail ...

Distribution

''Phoboscincus bocourti'' is

to two islets ashore of the

(Isle of Pines), an island off the coast of

.''Phoboscincus bocourti'' a
ReptileDatabase.cz
/ref> Its extant range is severely limited as the islets' surfaces combine to about . However, it may be present on other islands in the locality. This rare species was considered extinct until being rediscovered in 1993, and in December 2003, a specimen was found by some specialists from the French

Muséum national d'histoire naturelle The French National Museum of Natural History, known in French as the ' (abbreviation MNHN), is the national natural history museum of France and a ' of higher education part of Sorbonne Universities. The main museum, with four galleries, is loc ...

(the animal was photographed and filmed before being released). Before, it was only known from a single specimen, collected on the same island by a man named Balanza. Additional individual specimens have been discovered in 2009, 2013 and 2018.

Diet

The teeth of ''P. bocourti'' are long, curved and sharp, suggesting

predator Predation is a biological interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill th ...

y habits unusual for a large skink; most skinks are

omnivorous An omnivore () is an animal that has the ability to eat and survive on both plant and animal matter. Obtaining energy and nutrients from plant and animal matter, omnivores digest carbohydrates, protein, fat, and fiber, and metabolize the nutri ...

. For a significant period of time, its diet went unknown; potential prey were thought to be larger

invertebrate Invertebrates are a paraphyletic group of animals that neither possess nor develop a vertebral column (commonly known as a ''backbone'' or ''spine''), derived from the notochord. This is a grouping including all animals apart from the chordate ...

s, other lizards, young

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...

s, and

eggs Humans and human ancestors have scavenged and eaten animal eggs for millions of years. Humans in Southeast Asia had domesticated chickens and harvested their eggs for food by 1,500 BCE. The most widely consumed eggs are those of fowl, especial ...

. Some clans claim that the terror skink has earned its name because of its notable ability to feast on the fingers and other worm-like body parts of both children and adults. A 2022 study found ''P. bocourti'' to largely be a dietary specialist on ''

Geograpsus ''Geograpsus'' is a genus of crabs in the family Grapsidae The Grapsidae are a family of crabs known variously as marsh crabs, shore crabs, or talon crabs. The family has not been confirmed to form a monophyletic group and some taxa may belo ...

land crabs A number of lineages of crabs have evolved to live predominantly on land. Examples of terrestrial crabs are found in the families Gecarcinidae and Gecarcinucidae, as well as in selected genera from other families, such as ''Sesarma'', althou ...

, namely the species ''

Geograpsus grayi ''Geograpsus'' is a genus of crabs in the family Grapsidae The Grapsidae are a family of crabs known variously as marsh crabs, shore crabs, or talon crabs. The family has not been confirmed to form a monophyletic group and some taxa may belo ...

'', with it using its large teeth and incredibly high bite force to penetrate the crabs' tough exoskeleton. This makes it the only known species of skink with a diet consisting of land crabs. However, it was also found to prey on another giant lizard sharing its habitat, the

New Caledonian giant gecko ''Rhacodactylus leachianus'', commonly known as the New Caledonian giant gecko, Leach's giant gecko, Leachianus Gecko, or simply Leachie, is a large species of gecko in the family Diplodactylidae. The species, which was first described by Geor ...

(''Rhacodactylus leachianus''), making ''P. bocourti'' an

apex predator An apex predator, also known as a top predator, is a predator at the top of a food chain, without natural predators of its own. Apex predators are usually defined in terms of trophic dynamics, meaning that they occupy the highest trophic lev ...

Description

''P. bocourti'' is about in total length (including tail), and in SVL making it the third largest reptilian predator on the island, the others being an extinct terrestrial crocodile, ''

Mekosuchus ''Mekosuchus'' is a genus of extinct Australasian crocodiles within the subfamily Mekosuchinae. They are believed to have been made extinct by the arrival of humans on the South Pacific islands where they lived. The species of this genus were s ...

'', and a

goanna A goanna is any one of several species of lizards of the genus '' Varanus'' found in Australia and Southeast Asia. Around 70 species of ''Varanus'' are known, 25 of which are found in Australia. This varied group of carnivorous reptiles ranges ...

Behavior

''P. bocourti'' is presumed to be diurnal and mainly

terrestrial Terrestrial refers to things related to land or the planet Earth. Terrestrial may also refer to: * Terrestrial animal, an animal that lives on land opposed to living in water, or sometimes an animal that lives on or near the ground, as opposed to ...

, but may be partially

arboreal Arboreal locomotion is the Animal locomotion, locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some animals may scale trees only occasionally, but others are exclusively arboreal. Th ...

Threats

With such a small area of occupation, ''P. bocourti'' is subject to threats such as habitat loss through a typhoon or wildfire, and the possibility of predatory animals being introduced to the island. The

has assessed its conservation status as being " critically endangered".

References

External links

Description page, including photographs"Molecular phylogeny of the scincid lizards of New Caledonia and adjacent areas"
* * Caut S, Holden M, Jowers MJ, Boistel R, Ineich I (2013). "Is Bocourt’s Terrific Skink Really So Terrific? Trophic Myth and Reality." '' PLoS ONE'' 8 (10): e78638. . {{Taxonbar, from=Q94878 Apex predators Phoboscincus Skinks of New Caledonia Reptiles described in 1876 Taxa named by Paul Brocchi