Eastern Shingleback
S5, Head
Ellura
Eastern Shingleback
S6 & S7, Mating
 
                      
Eastern Shingleback (Tiliqua rugosa ssp aspera)Class: Animals (Animalia) - Chordates (Chordata) - Reptiles (Reptilia)
Order: Scaled Reptiles (Squamata)
Family: Skink (Scincidae)     iNaturalist Observation
Species: Eastern Shingleback (Tiliqua rugosa ssp aspera)
This Photo:     🔍S15, Head, Old🔎
Other names: Stumpy, bobtail or sleepy.

Thank you Antoni Camozzato, Alan Melville, Geoffrey Cox & Michele Chiacchio for confirming the id of this species for us

General Species Information:
Found on Ellura (in the Murray Mallee, SA), the Flinders Ranges, the Riverland and elsewhere
5 fingers and 5 toes.
Very variable in colour. Also called "stumpy" due to its short fat tail, or "Sleepy" cause they are often seen sleeping on roads, but they can move pretty quickly!
If they feel threatened they will gape their mouth at you to bite and keep turning to face you if you circle them.
Antoni highlighted to us that this is the only sub-species in SA, the other three being found in WA.
Wendy Hayward said "Females have an arrow shaped head, males broader all over. Larger size head to body too. They mate for life but only come together for breeding season."

Copyright © 2014-2024 Brett & Marie Smith. All Rights Reserved. Photographed 13-Oct-2014
This species is classed as LC (Least Concern) in the Murray Mallee, SA, by DENR (Regional Species Status Assessments, July 2010)