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A Giant for Bayram (82)
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![Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 5726 W: 605 N: 3416]](http://i1.treknature.com/misc/g-g-g.gif) (9137) | Giant legless skink - Acontias plumbeus
This posting is dedicated to Dr. Bayram Göçmen (boreocypriensis) in recognition and appreciation for the valuable contribution he has made on TrekNature in the field of Herpetology. Bayram is a professional herpetologist, but he has the great ability to share his expert knowledge with us on this site in such a way that even I can understand it. So, with this humble gesture I just want to say thanks and I hope you will provide us the honour and pleasure to be able to enjoy your work for a long time to come. I have learned so much from you my friend.
Last year during November month, Anna and I had the privilege to spend some time at the wonderful Itala Game Reserve. A splendid facility with fabulous mountainous landscapes and a spectacular diversity in animal and botanical life. I will still post some photos of this visit at a later stage. We decided to depart early on our final day and upon our return trip divert to the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park and make a day visit out of that. During this trip we come across a creature which I have never before encountered during the 18 years that I have frequently visited this park or even any other place during my life. Naturally I had to get out of the car to investigate closer because there was no way that I would let this opportunity pass me by without knowing what it is or at least get a couple of close-up photos. This was on the Gontshi Loop, coming through the Memorial gate and turning right going all the way over the low-water bridge and ±450m from the bridge.
At first when I approached this unknown creature it was wriggling furiously in the middle of the gravel road trying very hard to give me the impression that it might be a snake. The strange thing was that it was actually going nowhere pretty fast. The more it writhed about the less it progressed, but to be honest with you, at first it almost had me fooled into believing this 'snake' idea and I was pretty 'cat-foot' around it. Eventually I caught on to its bluff though. When I observed the shiny scales and the almost 'duck like face' I realised that this cute guy must be some kind of skink. That was when I moved in closer with the Sony to get a couple of 'in-your-face' shots. Evidently the skink didn't like this close approach too much. When it didn't try to play 'snake' then it played 'dead' which was obviously the behaviour I favoured as it is much easier to photograph a skink playing dead than one with an identity crisis trying hard to pretend to be a furious 'black mamba'.
**Note1: Please view the workshop as well to see a full body shot of this interesting skink which measured ±40cm in length. It is the 1st posting of this species on TrekNature.
**Note2: I had to extract bits and pieces of information from 9 different Internet sites and 3 different books to make up the species notes of this posting. Nowhere could I find any significant data at one specific location so I decided instead of naming all the research sources I'd rather just mention the fact that information on this species is very sparse and was rather difficult to obtain.
Taxonomic Classification
KINGDOM: Animalia (animals)
PHYLUM: Chordata (vertebrates & invertebrates)
CLASS: Reptilia (crocodilia, lizards, snakes, and turtles)
ORDER: Squamata (scaled reptiles – lizards & snakes)
FAMILY: Scincidae (skinks)
GENUS: Acontias (lance skinks)
SPECIES: plumbeus (sand-swimmer legless skink)
Description
It is the world's largest limbless skink with specimens up to 55cm been recorded. At approximately ½ metre in length it can obviously inflict a painful bite, but it's often misidentified as a snake and killed.
It has a thick stocky body with a short cylindrical tail and lack any trace of external limbs. The head is broad and elongate. The steel-grey snout differs slightly in colour from the rest of the head scales and it has a large and obvious rostral (beak-shaped) scale. A groove in the rostral runs from the nostril to the posterior edge of the rostral scale. The eyes are small, however conspicuous with movable eyelids, but appear sunken and differ markedly from those of snakes. The lower eyelids are transparent. The body colour varies from bluish-black, black, or dark brown and the belly is lighter. Scales are shiny, overlapping and tight fitting, and the head scales are enlarged. There are no external ear openings.
Distribution
Africa: Endemic to North-Eastern South Africa, Swaziland, Southern Mozambique, and Eastern Zimbabwe.
Habitat
Forest or dense bush in coastal or lowveld areas where they burrow in loose humid ground, or in loamy soils, and leaf litter.
Behaviour
They move about above ground after rains. Also known to bask on the surface in the mornings and are often observed sunning themselves on road sides. These reptiles are seldom encountered because of their habitat preference.
Food
They feed on earthworms, spiders, insects (termites, larvae, beetles), and other invertebrates which they kill with their crushing bite. Given the chance it will also take frogs and other small vertebrates. They have been observed feeding on surface-living insects, catching them by ambush from below ground.
Reproduction
Viviparous, bearing 2-14 live young in a single litter at late summer (March to April). They develop fairly slowly.
Conservation status
Least concerned (although rarely seen).
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