Tribolonotus gracilis, commonly known as the red-eyed crocodile skink, is a species of skink that is sometimes kept as an exotic pet. The species is endemic to New Guinea, where it lives in a tropical rainforest habitat. It was first described by Nelly de Rooij in 1909.
Di
DiurnalDiurnal animals are active during the daytime, with a period of sleeping or other inactivity at night. The timing of activity by an animal depends ...
Ca
CarnivoreA carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of a...
In
InsectivoresAn insectivore is a carnivorous plant or animal that eats insects. An alternative term is entomophage, which also refers to the human practice of e...
Te
TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
Fo
FossorialA fossorial animal is one adapted to digging which lives primarily but not solely, underground. Some examples are badgers, naked mole-rats, clams, ...
Oviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
Precocial species are those in which the young are relatively mature and mobile from the moment of birth or hatching. Precocial species are normall...
So
SolitaryNo
Not a migrantAnimals that do not make seasonal movements and stay in their native home ranges all year round are called not migrants or residents.
R
starts withThe Red-eyed crocodile skink is a unique-looking species of skink that is sometimes kept as an exotic pet. It is native to New Guinea, where it lives in the tropical rainforest. It was first described by Nelly de Rooij in 1909.
Red-eyed crocodile skinks are found in New Guinea island in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. They live in the humid, tropical forests of the region and have also adapted to live in human-populated areas.
Red-eyed crocodile skinks are semi-fossorial and terrestrial reptiles. They are very secretive and prefer to be on their own except for mothers with their offspring. They are active during the day. Red-eyed crocodile skinks are excellent climbers but they spend most of their time among the leaf litter on the forest floor. When climbing, they will stick to low lying branches and fallen logs and do not venture to the top of tree canopies. They are also very good swimmers. The Red-eyed crocodile skink is one of the few species of skinks that vocalize when in distress. When startled, they tend to freeze and have been known to "play dead" (even when handled).
Red-eyed crocodile skinks are carnivores mainly insectivores. They eat a variety of insects such as fruit flies, mealworms, and small crickets.
The mating system of Red-eyed crocodile skinks is unknown; however, during the breeding season males typically battle each other in order to attract the female. Every 9 to 10 weeks, the female lays only one egg at a time; she may lay up to 10 eggs per year. When their young hatch Red-eyed crocodile skins tend to form mother-child family groups. The gender of the skinks can be identified by the white pads, or pores, on their hind feet as only males have these "pores". Males usually become reproductively mature at the age of 3 years while females attain maturity when they are 4-5 years old.
There are no major threats to Red-eyed crocodile skinks at present.
According to IUCN, the Red-eyed crocodile skink is common throughout its range but no overall population estimate is available. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List.
