canberrabirds

OT Legless-ish lizards

To: <>
Subject: OT Legless-ish lizards
From: "Steve Holliday" <>
Date: Wed, 31 Mar 2010 17:00:05 +1100
Hi Paul

Sounds very much like a Three-toed Skink (or Three-toed Earless Skink)
(Hemiergis decresiensis) which is fairly common locally, though cryptic.
They can be 10-11cm long, although probably more than half of that would be
tail. Pictures here
http://museumvictoria.com.au/bioinformatics/lizards/images/comdecrlive.htm

Note there are other skinks with 3 toes that also get called 'Three-toed
Skink', but H. decresiensis is the only one found locally.

Legless lizards found around Canberra are in a different family and do look
completely limbless like snakes, although they have a small flap of skin
where a limb should be this isn't usually visible.

Cheers

Steve

-----Original Message-----
From: Paul T.  
Sent: Wednesday, 31 March 2010 4:04 PM
To: 
Subject: OT Legless-ish lizards

Howdy All,

Apologies for the off bird topic, but we seem to have a lot of 
knowledge here of other fauna so I thought I would ask.  Is there a 
species of "legless" lizard locally that looks like a very large 
"common" skink (i.e the little ones that we get here all over the 
place in our gardens), with legs proportionally around half the size 
of the normal skink and that moves by undulation akin to the visual 
movement of a snake?  The other day I unearthed a squirmy little 
beastie of this description amongst the pots in my back yard.  It was 
maybe 50% larger than the normal skinks (far larger than any I have 
observed here in my garden at the very least), definitely possessed 
legs that were quite small, and that it definitely did not use at all 
in it's attempts to get away from me.  I didn't pursue it as I didn't 
want to risk hurting it...... I honestly thought it was just a very 
large skink until I realised the legs were relatively small and that 
it didn't move right.

Does anyone know what this may have been?  Perhaps better to respond 
to me privately as I don't want to clog up the list with my 
non-birding lizard question. <grin>

Thanks in anticipation.

Cheers.

Paul T.
Higgins, ACT 



****************************************************************************
***************************



<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>
Admin

The University of NSW School of Computer and Engineering takes no responsibility for the contents of this archive. It is purely a compilation of material sent by many people to the Canberra Ornithologists Group mailing list. It has not been checked for accuracy nor its content verified in any way. If you wish to get material removed from the archive or have other queries about the list contact David McDonald, list manager, phone (02) 6231 8904 or email . If you can not contact David McDonald e-mail Andrew Taylor at this address: andrewt@cse.unsw.EDU.AU