Trachylepis spilogaster
| Kalahari tree skink | |
|---|---|
| File:Kalahari tree skink, Kalahari boomskink (Trachylepis spilogaster)-1574 - Flickr - Ragnhild & Neil Crawford.jpg | |
| Scientific classification Edit this classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Family: | Scincidae |
| Genus: | Trachylepis |
| Species: | T. spilogaster
|
| Binomial name | |
| Trachylepis spilogaster (Peters, 1882)
| |
| Synonyms | |
| |
-1574_-_Flickr_-_Ragnhild_%26_Neil_Crawford.jpg){kind=link}
The Kalahari tree skink (Trachylepis spilogaster), or spiny mabuya, is a species of lizard in the skink family (Scincidae). The species is endemic to southern Africa, including Namibia, South Africa, western Botswana, and southern Angola.[1]
Habitat
[edit | edit source]Kalahari tree skinks have been found to live around trees that contain the large colonial nests of the sociable weaver. Their numbers are higher in these areas despite a known predator of skinks, the pygmy falcon, also nesting in these trees. It is theorized that the increased opportunity for places of refuge outweigh the risk of predation.[2] Skinks found on colony trees have learned to eavesdrop on sociable weavers to warn of approaching pygmy falcons.[3]
References
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