Ablepharus
Sign in to saveAblepharus is a genus of skinks that contains the common snake-eyed skinks. Both their scientific and common names refer to the fact that their eyelids have fused to a translucent capsule; as in snakes, they thus are physically incapable of blinking. They are small lizards and prefer to live in the leaf litter of dry fields and hills. Their scales give them a very shiny, bronze appearance with a characteristically dark stripe down the sides of their bodies. They prey on small insects and other small mollusks.
Taxonomy · GBIF
Buchanan's Snake-eyed Skink
GENUS
- KingdomAnimalia
- PhylumChordata
- ClassSquamata
- FamilyScincidae
Observations1,687
Groupreptilia
via GBIF · iNaturalist · CC0
Article
9 sectionsContents
- Characteristics
- Appearance
- Mannerisms and habitat
- Distribution
- Diet
- Lifecycle
- Species
- References
- Further reading
Ablepharus is a genus of skinks that contains the common snake-eyed skinks. Both their scientific and common names refer to the fact that their eyelids have fused to a translucent capsule; as in snakes, they thus are physically incapable of blinking. They are small lizards and prefer to live in the leaf litter of dry fields and hills. Their scales give them a very shiny, bronze appearance with a characteristically dark stripe down the sides of their bodies. They prey on small insects and other small mollusks.
==Characteristics== ===Appearance=== The scales on all Ablepharus species are shiny and bronze in appearance. Also, a very characteristic bronze stripe runs the length of the dorsal surface of the body. They have short, weak front legs, which contribute to their moving in a serpentine-like manner. In general, females are longer and weigh more than their male counterparts. Ablepharus species have thick tails relative to their body sizes and lengths. Fully mature Ablepharus species can reach a total length (including tail) of up to . On average, both males and females reach a total length of up to about .