Skinks are a type of

lizard Lizard is the common name used for all Squamata, squamate reptiles other than snakes (and to a lesser extent amphisbaenians), encompassing over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most Island#Oceanic isla ...

belonging to the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Scincidae, a family in the

infraorder Order () is one of the eight major hierarchical taxonomic ranks in Linnaean taxonomy. It is classified between Family_(biology), family and Class_(biology), class. In biological classification, the order is a taxonomic rank used in the classific ...

Scincomorpha Scincomorpha is an infraorder and clade of lizards including skinks (Scincidae) and their close relatives. These include the living families Cordylidae (girdled lizards), Gerrhosauridae (plated lizards), and Xantusiidae (night lizards), as well a ...

. With more than 1,500 described

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

across 100 different taxonomic genera, the family Scincidae is one of the most diverse families of lizards. Skinks are characterized by their smaller legs in comparison to typical lizards and are found in different habitats except arctic and subarctic regions.

Etymology

The word ''skink'', which entered the English language around 1580–1590, comes from

classical Greek Ancient Greek (, ; ) includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archa ...

and Latin , names that referred to various specific lizards.

Description

Skinks look like lizards of the family Lacertidae (sometimes called ''true lizards''), but most species of skinks have no pronounced neck and relatively small legs. Several genera (e.g., '' Typhlosaurus'') have no limbs at all. This is not true for all skinks, however, as some species such as the red-eyed crocodile skink have a head that is very distinguished from the body. These lizards also have legs that are relatively small proportional to their body size. Skinks' skulls are covered by substantial bony scales, usually matching up in shape and size, while overlapping. Other genera, such as '' Neoseps'', have reduced limbs and fewer than five toes ( digits) on each foot. In such species, their locomotion resembles that of

snake Snakes are elongated limbless reptiles of the suborder Serpentes (). Cladistically squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales much like other members of the group. Many species of snakes have s ...

s more than that of lizards with well-developed limbs. As a general rule, the longer the digits, the more arboreal the species is likely to be. A biological ratio can determine the ecological niche of a given skink species. The Scincidae ecological niche index (SENI) is a ratio based on anterior foot length at the junction of the ulna/radius-carpal bones to the longest digit divided by the snout-to-vent length. Most species of skinks have long, tapering tails they can shed if predators grab onto them. Such species generally can regenerate the lost part of a tail, though imperfectly. A lost tail can grow back within around three to four months. Species with stumpy tails have no special regenerative abilities. Some species of skinks are quite small; ''

Scincella lateralis ''Scincella lateralis'', formerly Lygosoma laterale is a small species of skink found throughout much of the eastern half of the United States, and into northern Mexico. The ground skink differs from the majority of North American lizard species ...

'' typically ranges from , more than half of which is the tail. Most skinks, though, are medium-sized, with snout-to-vent lengths around , although some grow larger; the Solomon Islands skink (''Corucia zebrata'') is the largest known extant species and may attain a snout-to-vent length of some . Skinks can often hide easily in their habitat because of their protective colouring (camouflage).

Blood color

Skinks in the genus '' Prasinohaema'' have green blood because of a buildup of the waste product

biliverdin Biliverdin (from the Latin for green bile) is a green tetrapyrrolic bile pigment, and is a product of heme catabolism.Boron W, Boulpaep E. Medical Physiology: a cellular and molecular approach, 2005. 984–986. Elsevier Saunders, United States. ...

Evolutionary history

The oldest known skink is '' Electroscincus zedi'' described from the mid-Cretaceous (late

Albian The Albian is both an age (geology), age of the geologic timescale and a stage (stratigraphy), stage in the stratigraphic column. It is the youngest or uppermost subdivision of the Early Cretaceous, Early/Lower Cretaceous epoch (geology), Epoch/s ...

to early

Cenomanian The Cenomanian is, in the International Commission on Stratigraphy's (ICS) geological timescale, the oldest or earliest age (geology), age of the Late Cretaceous epoch (geology), Epoch or the lowest stage (stratigraphy), stage of the Upper Cretace ...

)

Burmese amber Burmese amber, also known as Burmite or Kachin amber, is amber from the Hukawng Valley in northern Myanmar. The amber is dated to around 100 million years ago, during the latest Albian to earliest Cenomanian ages of the mid-Cretaceous period. Th ...

from

Myanmar Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...

, dating to around . Based on the presence of

osteoderms Osteoderms are bony deposits forming scales, plates, or other structures based in the dermis. Osteoderms are found in many groups of Extant taxon, extant and extinct reptiles and amphibians, including lizards, crocodilians, frogs, Temnospondyli, ...

, ''Electroscincus'' appears to belong to the Scincidae crown group, indicating that some divergence among the extant skink subfamilies must have already occurred by 100 million years ago. Other definitive skink fossils are known from the

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and mea ...

. Skink genera known from fossils include the following:

Behavior

A trait apparent in many species of skink is digging and burrowing. Many spend their time underground where they are mostly safe from predators, sometimes even digging out tunnels for easy navigation. They also use their tongues to sniff the air and track their prey. When they encounter their prey, they chase it down until they corner it or manage to land a bite and then swallow it whole. Despite being voracious hunters at times, all species pose no threat to humans and will generally avoid interaction in the wild. Being neither poisonous nor venomous, their bites are also mild and minor.

Diet

Skinks are generally

carnivorous A carnivore , or meat-eater (Latin, ''caro'', genitive ''carnis'', meaning meat or "flesh" and ''vorare'' meaning "to devour"), is an animal or plant whose nutrition and energy requirements are met by consumption of animal tissues (mainly mu ...

and in particular insectivorous. Typical prey include

flies Flies are insects of the Order (biology), order Diptera, the name being derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek δι- ''di-'' "two", and πτερόν ''pteron'' "wing". Insects of this order use only a single pair of wings to fly, the hindwin ...

cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

grasshopper Grasshoppers are a group of insects belonging to the suborder Caelifera. They are amongst what are possibly the most ancient living groups of chewing herbivorous insects, dating back to the early Triassic around 250 million years ago. Grassh ...

beetle Beetles are insects that form the Taxonomic rank, order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Holometabola. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 40 ...

s, and

caterpillar Caterpillars ( ) are the larval stage of members of the order Lepidoptera (the insect order comprising butterflies and moths). As with most common names, the application of the word is arbitrary, since the larvae of sawflies (suborder ...

s. Various species also eat

earthworm An earthworm is a soil-dwelling terrestrial invertebrate that belongs to the phylum Annelida. The term is the common name for the largest members of the class (or subclass, depending on the author) Oligochaeta. In classical systems, they we ...

millipede Millipedes (originating from the Latin , "thousand", and , "foot") are a group of arthropods that are characterised by having two pairs of jointed legs on most body segments; they are known scientifically as the class Diplopoda, the name derive ...

centipede Centipedes (from Neo-Latin , "hundred", and Latin , "foot") are predatory arthropods belonging to the class Chilopoda (Ancient Greek , ''kheilos'', "lip", and Neo-Latin suffix , "foot", describing the forcipules) of the subphylum Myriapoda, ...

snail A snail is a shelled gastropod. The name is most often applied to land snails, terrestrial molluscs, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod molluscs. However, the common name ''snail'' is also used for most of the members of the molluscan class Gas ...

slug Slug, or land slug, is a common name for any apparently shell-less Terrestrial mollusc, terrestrial gastropod mollusc. The word ''slug'' is also often used as part of the common name of any gastropod mollusc that has no shell, a very reduced ...

isopod Isopoda is an Order (biology), order of crustaceans. Members of this group are called isopods and include both Aquatic animal, aquatic species and Terrestrial animal, terrestrial species such as woodlice. All have rigid, segmented exoskeletons ...

s (

woodlice Woodlice are terrestrial isopods in the suborder Oniscidea. Their name is derived from being often found in old wood, and from louse, a parasitic insect, although woodlice are neither parasitic nor insects. Woodlice evolved from marine isopods ...

etc), moths, small lizards (including

gecko Geckos are small, mostly carnivorous lizards that have a wide distribution, found on every continent except Antarctica. Belonging to the infraorder Gekkota, geckos are found in warm climates. They range from . Geckos are unique among lizards ...

s), and small

rodent Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the Order (biology), order Rodentia ( ), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and Mandible, lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal specie ...

s. Some species, particularly those favored as home pets, are

omnivorous An omnivore () is an animal that regularly consumes significant quantities of both plant and animal matter. Obtaining energy and nutrients from plant and animal matter, omnivores digest carbohydrates, protein, fat, and fiber, and metabolize ...

and have more varied diets and can be maintained on a regimen of roughly 60% vegetables/leaves/fruit and 40% meat (insects and rodents). Species of the genus ''Tristiidon'' are mainly frugivorous, but occasionally eat moss and insects.

Breeding

Although most species of skinks are

oviparous Oviparous animals are animals that reproduce by depositing fertilized zygotes outside the body (i.e., by laying or spawning) in metabolically independent incubation organs known as eggs, which nurture the embryo into moving offsprings kno ...

, laying eggs in clutches, some 45% of skink species are viviparous in one sense or another. Many species are ovoviviparous, the young (skinklets) developing lecithotrophically in eggs that hatch inside the mother's reproductive tract, and emerging as live births. In some genera, however, such as '' Tiliqua'' and '' Corucia'', the young developing in the reproductive tract derive their nourishment from a mammal-like

placenta The placenta (: placentas or placentae) is a temporary embryonic and later fetal organ that begins developing from the blastocyst shortly after implantation. It plays critical roles in facilitating nutrient, gas, and waste exchange between ...

attached to the female – unambiguous examples of viviparous matrotrophy. Furthermore, an example recently described in '' Trachylepis ivensi'' is the most extreme to date: a purely reptilian placenta directly comparable in structure and function, to a

eutheria Eutheria (from Greek , 'good, right' and , 'beast'; ), also called Pan-Placentalia, is the clade consisting of Placentalia, placental mammals and all therian mammals that are more closely related to placentals than to marsupials. Eutherians ...

n placenta. Clearly, such vivipary repeatedly has developed independently in the evolutionary history of the Scincidae and the different examples are not ancestral to the others. In particular, placental development of whatever degree in lizards is

phylogenetically In biology, phylogenetics () is the study of the evolutionary history of life using observable characteristics of organisms (or genes), which is known as phylogenetic inference. It infers the relationship among organisms based on empirical data ...

analogous, rather than homologous, to functionally similar processes in mammals.

Nesting

Skinks typically seek out environments protected from the elements, such as thick foliage, underneath man-made structures, and ground-level buildings such as garages and first-floor apartments. When two or more skinks are seen in a small area, it is typical to find a nest nearby. Skinks are considered to be territorial and often are seen standing in front of or "guarding" their nest area. If a nest is nearby, one can expect to see 10-30 lizards within the period of a month. In parts of the southern United States, nests are commonly found in houses and apartments, especially along the coast. The nest is where the skink lays its small white eggs, up to 4-8 at a time.

Habitat

Skinks are very specific in their habitat as some can depend on vegetation while others may depend on land and the soil. As a family, skinks are cosmopolitan; species occur in a variety of

habitat In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ...

s worldwide, apart from boreal and polar regions. Various species occur in ecosystems ranging from deserts and mountains to grasslands. 5LinedSkink

Many species are good burrowers. More species are terrestrial or

fossorial A fossorial animal () is one that is adapted to digging and which lives primarily (but not solely) underground. Examples of fossorial vertebrates are Mole (animal), moles, badgers, naked mole-rats, meerkats, armadillos, wombats, and mole salamand ...

(burrowing) than

arboreal Arboreal locomotion is the 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 (scansorial), but others are exclusively arboreal. The hab ...

(tree-climbing) or aquatic. Some are "sand swimmers", especially the desert species, such as the mole skink or sand skink in

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

. Some use a very similar action in moving through grass tussocks. Most skinks are diurnal (day-active) and typically bask on rocks or logs during the day.

Predators

Raccoon The raccoon ( or , ''Procyon lotor''), sometimes called the North American, northern or common raccoon (also spelled racoon) to distinguish it from Procyonina, other species of raccoon, is a mammal native to North America. It is the largest ...

s, foxes,

possums Possum may refer to: Animals * Didelphimorphia, or (o)possums, an order of marsupials native to the Americas ** Didelphis, a genus of marsupials within Didelphimorphia *** Common opossum, native to Central and South America *** Virginia opossum, ...

s, coatis, weasels,

crow A crow is a bird of the genus ''Corvus'', or more broadly, a synonym for all of ''Corvus''. The word "crow" is used as part of the common name of many species. The related term "raven" is not linked scientifically to any certain trait but is rathe ...

s, cats, dogs,

heron Herons are long-legged, long-necked, freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae, with 75 recognised species, some of which are referred to as egrets or bitterns rather than herons. Members of the genus ''Botaurus'' are referred to as bi ...

s, hawks,

s, and other predators of small land vertebrates also prey on various skinks. This can be troublesome, given the long gestation period for some skinks, making them an easy target to predators such as the

mongoose A mongoose is a small terrestrial carnivorous mammal belonging to the family Herpestidae. This family has two subfamilies, the Herpestinae and the Mungotinae. The Herpestinae comprises 23 living species that are native to southern Europe, A ...

, which often threaten the species to at least near extinction, such as the Anguilla Bank skink. Invasive rodents are a major threat to skinks that have been overlooked, especially tropical skinks. Skinks are also hunted for food by indigenous peoples in

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; , fossilized , also known as Papua or historically ) is the List of islands by area, world's second-largest island, with an area of . Located in Melanesia in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is ...

, including by the Kalam people in the highlands of

Madang Province Madang is a Provinces of Papua New Guinea, province of Papua New Guinea. The province is on the northern coast of mainland Papua New Guinea and has many of the country's highest peaks, active volcanoes and its biggest mix of languages. The capi ...

, Papua New Guinea.Bulmer, RNH (1975)
Kalam Classification Of Reptiles And Fishes
''Journal of the Polynesian Society'' 84(3): 267–308.

Genetics

Genomic architecture

Despite making up 15% of reptiles, skinks have a relatively conserved chromosome number, between 11 and 16 pairs. Skink genomes are typically about 1.5 Gb, approximately one-half the size of the human genome. The Christmas Island blue-tailed skink (''Cryptoblepharus egeriae'') was sequenced in 2022, representing the first skink reference genome.

Sex determination systems

Skinks were long thought to have both genetic sex determination (GSD) and

temperature-dependent sex determination Temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD) is a type of environmental sex determination in which the temperatures experienced during embryonic/larval development determine the sex of the offspring. It is observed in reptiles and teleost fish, ...

(TSD). Despite having sex chromosomes that are not distinguishable with a microscope, all major skink lineages share an old XY system that is over 80 million years old. These X and Y specific regions are highly divergent and contain multiple chromosomal rearrangements and repetitive sequences.

Genera

Many genera, '' Mabuya'' for example, are still insufficiently studied, and their

systematics Systematics is the study of the diversification of living forms, both past and present, and the relationships among living things through time. Relationships are visualized as evolutionary trees (synonyms: phylogenetic trees, phylogenies). Phy ...

are at times controversial, see for example the

taxonomy image:Hierarchical clustering diagram.png, 280px, Generalized scheme of taxonomy Taxonomy is a practice and science concerned with classification or categorization. Typically, there are two parts to it: the development of an underlying scheme o ...

of the western skink, ''Plestiodon skiltonianus''. ''Mabuya'' in particular, is being split, many species being allocated to new genera such as '' Trachylepis'', '' Chioninia'', and '' Eutropis''. Subfamily Acontinae (limbless skinks; 30 species in 2 genera) * '' Acontias'' (25 species) * '' Typhlosaurus'' (5 species) Subfamily Egerniinae (social skinks; 63 species in 9 genera) * '' Bellatorias'' (3 species) * '' Corucia'' (1 species) * '' Cyclodomorphus'' (9 species) * '' Egernia'' (17 species) * ''

Liopholis ''Liopholis'' is a genus of lizards in the subfamily Egerniinae of the Family (biology), family Scincidae (skinks). Species of the genus are found in the Australasian realm, Australian region. They were previously placed in the genus ''Egernia''. ...

'' (12 species) * '' Lissolepis'' (2 species) * '' Tiliqua'' (7 species) * '' Tribolonotus'' (10 species) Subfamily Eugongylinae (eugongylid skinks; 455 species in 50 genera) * '' Ablepharus'' (18 species) * '' Acritoscincus'' (3 species) * '' Alpinoscincus'' (2 species) * '' Anepischetosia'' (1 species) * '' Austroablepharus'' (3 species) * '' Caesoris'' (1 species) * '' Caledoniscincus'' (14 species) * '' Carinascincus'' (8 species) * '' Carlia'' (46 species) * '' Celatiscincus'' (2 species) * '' Cophoscincopus'' (4 species) * '' Cryptoblepharus'' (53 species) * '' Emoia'' (78 species) * '' Epibator'' (3 species) * '' Eroticoscincus'' (1 species) * '' Eugongylus'' (5 species) * '' Geomyersia'' (2 species) * '' Geoscincus'' (1 species) * '' Graciliscincus'' (1 species) * '' Harrisoniascincus'' (1 species) * '' Kanakysaurus'' (2 species) * '' Kuniesaurus'' (1 species) * '' Lacertaspis'' (5 species) * '' Lacertoides'' (1 species) * '' Lampropholis'' (14 species) * '' Leiolopisma'' (4 species) * '' Leptosiaphos'' (18 species) * '' Liburnascincus'' (4 species) * '' Lioscincus'' (2 species) * '' Lobulia'' (8 species) * '' Lygisaurus'' (14 species) * '' Marmorosphax'' (5 species) * '' Menetia'' (5 species) * '' Morethia'' (8 species) * '' Nannoscincus'' (12 species) * '' Nubeoscincus'' (2 species) * ''

Oligosoma ''Oligosoma'' is a genus of small to medium-sized skinks (family Scincidae) found only in New Zealand, Norfolk Island and Lord Howe Island. ''Oligosoma'' had previously been found to belong to the ''Eugongylus'' group of genera in the subfami ...

'' (53 species) * '' Panaspis'' (21 species) * '' Phaeoscincus'' (2 species) * '' Phasmasaurus'' (2 species) * '' Phoboscincus'' (2 species) * '' Proablepharus'' (2 species) * '' Pseudemoia'' (6 species) * '' Pygmaeascincus'' (3 species) * '' Saproscincus'' (12 species) * '' Sigaloseps'' (6 species) * '' Simiscincus'' (1 species) * '' Tachygia'' (1 species) * '' Techmarscincus'' (1 species) * '' Tropidoscincus'' (3 species) Subfamily Lygosominae (lygosomid skinks; 56 species in 6 genera) * '' Haackgreerius'' (1 species) * '' Lamprolepis'' (3 species) * '' Lygosoma'' (16 species) * '' Mochlus'' (18 species) * '' Riopa'' (9 species) * '' Subdoluseps'' (8 species) Subfamily Mabuyinae (mabuyid skinks; 226 species in 25 genera) * '' Alinea'' (2 species) * '' Aspronema'' (2 species) * '' Brasiliscincus'' (3 species) * '' Capitellum'' (3 species) * '' Chioninia'' (7 species) * '' Copeoglossum'' (5 species) * '' Dasia'' (10 species) * '' Eumecia'' (2 species) * '' Eutropis'' (48 species) * '' Exila'' (1 species) * '' Heremites'' (3 species) * '' Lubuya'' (1 species) * '' Mabuya'' (9 species) * '' Manciola'' (1 species) * '' Maracaiba'' (2 species) * '' Marisora'' (13 species) * '' Notomabuya'' (1 species) * '' Otosaurus'' (1 species) * '' Panopa'' (2 species) * '' Psychosaura'' (2 species) * '' Spondylurus'' (17 species) * '' Toenayar'' (1 species) * '' Trachylepis'' (87 species) * '' Varzea'' (2 species) * '' Vietnascincus'' (1 species) Subfamily Sphenomorphinae (sphenomorphid skinks; 591 species in 41 genera) * '' Anomalopus'' (4 species) * '' Calorodius'' (1 species) * '' Calyptotis'' (4 species) * '' Coeranoscincus'' (2 species) * '' Coggeria'' (1 species) * '' Concinnia'' (7 species) * '' Ctenotus'' (103 species) * '' Eremiascincus'' (15 species) * '' Eulamprus'' (5 species) * '' Fojia'' (1 species) * '' Glaphyromorphus'' (11 species) * '' Gnypetoscincus'' (1 species) * '' Hemiergis'' (7 species) * '' Insulasaurus'' (4 species) * '' Isopachys'' (4 species) * '' Kaestlea'' (5 species) * '' Lankascincus'' (10 species) * '' Larutia'' (9 species) * '' Leptoseps'' (2 species) * '' Lerista'' (97 species) * '' Lipinia'' (28 species) * '' Nangura'' (1 species) * '' Notoscincus'' (2 species) * '' Ophioscincus'' (3 species) * '' Ornithuroscincus'' (9 species) * '' Orosaura'' (1 species) * '' Palaia'' (1 species) * '' Papuascincus'' (4 species) * '' Parvoscincus'' (24 species) * '' Pinoyscincus'' (5 species) * '' Praeteropus'' (4 species) * '' Prasinohaema'' (5 species) * '' Protoblepharus'' (3 species) * '' Ristella'' (4 species) * '' Saiphos'' (1 species) * '' Scincella'' (38 species) * '' Sepsiscus'' (1 species) * '' Silvascincus'' (2 species) * '' Sphenomorphus'' (113 species) * '' Tropidophorus'' (29 species) * '' Tumbunascincus'' (1 species) * '' Tytthoscincus'' (23 species) Subfamily Scincinae (typical skinks; 294 species in 35 genera) * '' Amphiglossus'' (2 species) * '' Ateuchosaurus'' (2 species) * '' Barkudia'' (2 species) * '' Brachymeles'' (42 species) * '' Brachyseps'' (8 species) * ''

Chalcides ''Chalcides'' is a genus of skinks ( family Scincidae). It is usually placed in the subfamily Scincinae (= Scincidae ''sensu'' Hedges 2014), a monophyletic clade of primarily African skinks. Species The following species A species () ...

'' (32 species) * '' Chalcidoseps'' (1 species) * ''

Eumeces The genus ''Eumeces'' (family (biology), family Scincidae) comprises four African to Middle-Eastern skink species. Systematics Recently two taxonomic revisions have been made regarding the 19th century genus ''Eumeces''. They both resulted in si ...

'' (6 species) * '' Eurylepis'' (2 species) * '' Feylinia'' (6 species) * '' Flexiseps'' (15 species) * '' Gongylomorphus'' (3 species) * '' Grandidierina'' (4 species) * '' Hakaria'' (1 species) * '' Janetaescincus'' (2 species) * '' Jarujinia'' (1 species) * '' Madascincus'' (12 species) * '' Melanoseps'' (8 species) * ''

Mesoscincus ''Mesoscincus'' is a genus of lizards, comprising three species of skinks native to Mexico and Central America. The species were formerly included in the genus ''Eumeces''. Species *''Mesoscincus altamirani'' – Tepalcatepec skink – Mexico * ...

'' (3 species) * '' Nessia'' (9 species) * '' Ophiomorus'' (12 species) * '' Pamelaescincus'' (1 species) * '' Paracontias'' (14 species) * ''

Plestiodon ''Plestiodon'' is a genus of lizards in the family Scincidae (skinks). The genus contains many species formerly classified under the genus ''Eumeces'', except those now placed in '' Mesoscincus''. They are secretive, agile animals with a cylin ...

'' (50 species) * '' Proscelotes'' (3 species) * '' Pseudoacontias'' (4 species) * '' Pygomeles'' (3 species) * '' Scelotes'' (22 species) * '' Scincopus'' (1 species) * '' Scincus'' (5 species) * '' Scolecoseps'' (4 species) * '' Sepsina'' (5 species) * '' Sepsophis'' (1 species) * '' Typhlacontias'' (7 species) * '' Voeltzkowia'' (3 species)

Gallery

Female Skink with Eggs.JPG, Female skink with eggs Indian Skink.jpg, Indian skink Skink found in Sri Lanka.jpg, Skink found in Sri Lanka Skink in Aussie.jpg, Eastern blue-tongue lizard in Australia Eastern blue-tongued lizard - Tiliqua scincoides scincoides - 7.jpg, Eastern blue-tongued lizard Lizard Albany.jpg, King's skink – Albany, Western Australia

References

Sources

* De Vosjoli, Philippe (1993) ''Prehensile-Tailed Skinks''. Advanced Vivarium Systems. * Hedges, S. Blair and Caitlin E. Conn. 2012. A new skink fauna from Caribbean islands (Squamata, Mabuyidae, Mabuyinae). Zootaxa 3288.

External links

Scincidae
a
The Reptile Database

Skink Gallery and Information

KingSnake.com (Wayback Machine) {{Authority control Taxa named by John Edward Gray Extant Cenomanian first appearances