Eastern Spotted Comb-eared Skink
S3, Gravid Female, On the Move
Eastern Spotted Comb-eared Skink
S13, ventral
| Eastern Spotted Comb-eared Skink S3, Gravid Female, On the Move | | Eastern Spotted Comb-eared Skink S13, ventral | | ||
 | Class: | Animals (Animalia) - Chordates (Chordata) - Reptiles (Reptilia) | |||
| Order: | Scaled Reptiles (Squamata) | ||||
| Family: | Skink (Scincidae) iNaturalist Observation | ||||
| Species: | Eastern Spotted Comb-eared Skink (Ctenotus orientalis) | ||||
| This Photo: | 🔍S4, Oops🔎 | ||||
Thank you Dr Mark Hutchinson & Stephen Mahony for confirming the id of this species for us EXTRA - Photo Specific Information: This fellow was investigating a hole in the ground. We were intrigued because we knew there was a large spider down there. Soon after this shot he was out of there in a flash never to be seen again General Species Information: Found on Ellura (in the Murray Mallee, SA) and elsewhere 5 fingers & 5 toes. They are recorded as averaging 82mm long. However, of the 3 we've managed to catch we've recorded 2 at ~35mm & one at ~60mm. As such, we've labelled the smaller ones as juveniles. Even the 60mm one is small compared to 82mm; but perhaps the smaller ones are easier to catch? Extremely fast. Very hard to see, let alone photograph. The name "orientalis" doesn't refer to Asia as is commonly thought, but "of the East" as in "Eastern". We actually call them "Ellura Ghosts". We'll be walking Ellura and something will catch the corner of your eye on the ground. But by the time you turn your head it's gone. Eventually, with practice we managed to spot these. You can see their rear toes are so long; they help them run VERY quickly Similar Species: Eastern Desert Comb-eared Skink (Ctenotus regius) | |||||
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