''Tribolonotus gracilis'', commonly known as the red-eyed crocodile 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 ...

of skink that is sometimes kept as an

exotic pet An exotic pet is a pet which is relatively rare or unusual to keep, or is generally thought of as a wild species rather than as a domesticated pet. The definition varies by culture, location, and over time—as animals become firmly enough est ...

. 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 ...

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; id, Papua, or , historically ) is the world's second-largest island with an area of . Located in Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is separated from Australia by the wide Torr ...

, where it lives in a

tropical rainforest Tropical rainforests are rainforests that occur in areas of tropical rainforest climate in which there is no dry season – all months have an average precipitation of at least 60 mm – and may also be referred to as ''lowland equa ...

habitat. It was first described by

Nelly de Rooij Petronella Johanna Nelly de Rooij (30 July 1883 – 10 June 1964) was a Dutch zoologist and herpetologist. Biography De Rooij was born in Weesp, and she studied Medicine in Amsterdam until discrimination against her gender in Dutch law obliged h ...

in 1909.

Behavior

''Tribolonotus gracilis'' is one of the few species of skinks that vocalize when in distress. When startled, they tend to freeze and have been known to "play dead" (even when handled).

Reproduction

The red-eyed crocodile skink's sex can be identified by the white pads, or pores, on their hind feet. Only males have these "pores". Females have only a single working ovary (right ovary), laying one egg at a time. The female often curls around the egg and will aggressively defend it when approached by a perceived threat. If the egg gets uncovered, the female will cover it back up. Male crocodile skinks will battle other males.

Captivity

Red-eyed crocodile skinks are available in the pet trade, but most are wild-caught rather than captive-bred. Handling is typically very stressful for this species and therefore discouraged.

Behavior

Reproduction

Captivity

References

Further reading