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Lizards
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  My
three skinks (left photo), from
left to right, Kong, Hank, and Peggy. As demonstrated by Hank
(right photo) prehensile-tailed skins often use their tails as a fifth
limb. The bright orange food that Hank is eating is pureed
sweet
potatoes (i.e., baby food).
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Skinks are the most
taxonomically diverse group of lizards and are found
throughout the
world. The majority of skinks are small
lizards
with smooth skin and reduced limbs that tend to live under
logs,
between rocks, and in the underbrush; these are the types of skinks you
would see if you went looking for lizards anywhere in North America.
As you can see from the photo above,
however, Solomon
Islands prehensile-tailed skinks are anything but "typical" skinks.
Prehensile-tailed skinks (also known as monkey-tailed or monkey skinks) are members of a particularly interesting group of skinks that inhabit Australia and various islands in the south Pacific. The members of this group tend to be much larger than other skinks and many species, like prehensile-tailed skinks, display some very un-skinklike morphological features (discussed below). As their name indicates, Solomon Islands prehensile-tailed skinks occur in parts of Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, a small group of islands to the northeast of Australia in the south Pacific Ocean. Due to their small size and geographic isolation, islands are frequently home to animals adapted to fill niches very different from those occupied by their nearest relatives on the mainland. In the case of prehensile-tailed skinks, normally ground-dwelling skinks are adapted for a life in the trees. The most obvious adaptation for an arboreal lifestyle these lizards exhibit is their tail; it is prehensile, meaning it can grasp and hold onto branches and other objects. They tend to use their tail just as many South American monkeys do - as a fifth limb (to help them grip branches as they climb), as a safety net (to catch them if they slip), and as a repelling rope (to hang from). In addition to their tail, the legs and feet are well-adapted for climbing in the trees; the toes are long and equipped with large, sharp claws that allow them to grip branches will apparently little effort. In the wild, their mottled green coloration helps them blend in with their leafy surroundings, and their slow movement helps them avoid being seen. Moreover, they tend to be most active at night. Unlike most lizards, prehensile-tailed skinks give birth to live young, a trait of obvious utility for lizards that live in the treetops. They generally give birth to only a single baby, which then rides on the back of its mother until it is ready to set out on its own. Relatively recent taxonomic work has recognized two subspecies of Corucia zebrata: the common monkey-tailed skink (Corucia zebrata zebrata) and the northern monkey-tailed skink (Corucia zebrata alfredschmidti). Among other traits, these two forms are distinguished by size (with the northern form being larger) and the pattern of scales on the head. It appears that both of my females, Peggy and Kong, are the common subspecies whereas my male, Hank, is the northern subspecies. |
  The enclosure for my prehensile-tailed skinks (left), and the ultrasonic humidifier with PVC pipe (right). |
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Although prehensile-tailed
skinks are amazing lizards, I would only recommend them for
the serious reptile enthusiast. To be properly maintained,
they need a large enclosure that adequately simulates their natural
environment - trees in a tropical rain forest. This means
that they need plenty of branches to climb on and constant warm
temperatures with high humidity. I have three skinks (one
male and two females) and I keep them in a custom enclosure that is
six feet wide by four feet high by two feet deep. The
enclosure
is filled with a network of large branches that are tied together
with long
cable ties; this does a good job of simulating the
branches that they would typically be climbing on in their native
environment. (See also my page on setting up a tank for
veiled chameleons.) It is decorated with artificial plants and vines, mostly
for
aesthetics; any live plants that are put in with prehensile-tailed
skinks will eventually be eaten, shredded, or otherwise destroyed.
The bottom is covered with a layer of cypress mulch, and a
large
bowl with fresh water is always available to the skinks; they often
defecate in the bowl and like to soak in it when they are
about to shed. High humidity is critical for proper husbandry of these animals, and it is maintained in my enclosure through the use of an automatic misting system. (I used to spray down the enclosure by hand every day, but that got old really quick.) The easiest way to rig up a nice misting system is to purchase a Sunbeam ultrasonic humidifier (model 696) at your local Walgreen's. (I think they still carry these even though I couldn't find them on their on-line store.) The reason I recommend this particular model is that its outflow happens to exactly fit a 2" PVC pipe. By purchasing a variety of PVC connectors, elbows, and pipes at your local hardware store, it's an easy matter to piece together a network that can carry the mist from the humidifier to your enclosure. For my set-up, I routed the pipe through the back of the enclosure and into a five-foot long, 1" pipe with small (3/8") holes drilled into it every six inches or so. When the humidifier is turned on, the pipe distributes the mist throughout the enclosure. The humidifier is on a timer so the tank is misted several times each day. The only maintenance that is required for such a set-up is to periodically refill the reservoir and to clean the mineral deposits off the humidifier every so often. Being primarily nocturnal animals, these skinks do not need the special UVB lighting necessary for basking lizards. My enclosure is fitted with standard fluorescent bulbs, just to light up the tank during the day. For heat I use ceramic heating elements in regular incandescent fixtures. Prehensile-tailed skinks are basically herbivores. I mostly feed mine leafy greens (kale, turnip greens, mustard greens, collard greens) but they periodically get frozen mixed vegetables (thawed, of course), fresh fruits and vegetables (carrots, squash, apples), and baby food (especially sweet potatoes). They also love pothos (Epipremnum aureum), a plant that makes up a good portion of their diet in the wild. (Thanks to Curt Hendricks of the St. Louis Herpetological Society for this tip!) Every so often I'll give them superworms, which they also seem to enjoy. I have three skinks - one male and two females - all of which I acquired through adoption. The first one I adopted, Kong, was in pretty bad shape when I got her; her previous owner had not provided her with a proper enclosure, and she had not been able to shed her skin properly. Her eyes and toes were overgrown with old sheds, and she had lost most of her toes due to constriction from the old skin. She was also very skinny. After lots of soaking and manually removing old skin, we finally got her into good enough shape that she was able to see and was eating much better. Soon thereafter I adopted Hank and Peggy and moved all three of them into their present enclosure. Kong has thrived with the high humidity and now is the largest (fattest) of the three skinks. Due to the high demand for these lizards and their slow reproductive rate, most prehensile-tailed skinks in the U.S. are wild caught. Fortunately, these lizards are no longer being imported into the U.S., which should help protect them in the wild. It should also help to focus more energy on breeding these fascinating lizards in captivity. |
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This
page was last updated on December 12, 2006.
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