Kasner’s dwarf burrowing skink (Scelotes kasneri)

Kasner's dwarf burrowing skink
Kasner's dwarf burrowing skink

Kasner’s dwarf burrowing skink fact file

Kasner’s dwarf burrowing skink description

KingdomAnimalia
PhylumChordata
ClassReptilia
OrderSquamata
FamilyScincidae
GenusScelotes (1)

While this peculiar reptile may look like a snake, it is actually a lizard. It lacks forelimbs but it does have tiny hindlimbs each bearing two claws (2). The body is covered with small, smooth scales and has a straw-coloured stripe along the back. Bordering this stripe are three rows of scales which bear dark purple-brown spots, creating the impression of three dark stripes on either side. The belly is yellowish-white to greyish-white and the underside of the tail is patterned with dark spots. The flattened head of Kasner’s dwarf burrowing skink has well-developed eyes with opaque lower eyelids and very small ear openings (2).

Size
Snout-vent length: 80 – 105 mm (2)
Top

Kasner’s dwarf burrowing skink biology

Little is known about the biology of Kasner’s dwarf burrowing skink, which is rarely encountered due to its underground lifestyle (4). Other Scelotes species are viviparous and give birth to between one and four young (2), and the majority of skinks feed on arthropods and insects (5).

Top

Kasner’s dwarf burrowing skink range

Occurs along the coast of the Western Cape Province, South Africa, from Lambert’s Bay to Vredenburg (2).

Top

Kasner’s dwarf burrowing skink habitat

Kasner’s dwarf burrowing skink inhabits coastal dunes with little vegetation, where it is found under stones and litter (2), and will quickly wriggle into the sand if disturbed (3).

Top

Kasner’s dwarf burrowing skink status

Classified as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List 2007 (1).

IUCN Red List species status – Vulnerable

Top

Kasner’s dwarf burrowing skink threats

Kasner’s dwarf burrowing skink is considered threatened due to the destruction and degradation of its coastal habitat (6). This is the result of coastal development, primarily for holiday housing, water extraction and agriculture (4).

Top

Kasner’s dwarf burrowing skink conservation

As yet, there are no conservation measures known to be in place for Kasner’s dwarf burrowing skink.

View information on this species at the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre.

Top

Find out more

For further information on conservation in the Western Cape, South Africa see:

Top

Authentication

This information is awaiting authentication by a species expert, and will be updated as soon as possible. If you are able to help please contact: arkive@wildscreen.org.ukTop

Glossary

Arthropods
A very diverse phylum (a major grouping of animals) that includes crustaceans, insects and arachnids. All arthropods have paired jointed limbs and a hard external skeleton (exoskeleton).
Viviparous
Giving birth to live offspring that develop inside the mother’s body.
Top

References

  1. IUCN Red List (April, 2007)
    http://www.iucnredlist.org
  2. Branch, B. (1998) Field Guide to Snakes and other Reptiles of Southern Africa. Ralph Curtis Books Publishing, Florida.
  3. CapeNature (May, 2008)
    http://www.capenature.org.za
  4. Turner, A.A., de Villiers, A.L. and Baard, E.H.W. (2007) Western Cape Province State of Biodiversity 2007: Reptiles. CapeNature Scientific Services, South Africa.
  5. Halliday, T. (2002) The New Encyclopedia of Reptiles and Amphibians. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
  6. Baard, E.H.W. and de Villiers, A.L. (2000) State of Biodiversity: Western Cape Province, South Africa: Amphibians and Reptiles. Western Cape Nature Conservation Board, Stellenbosch.

More »Related species

Lanza's skink (Chalcides lanzai)Leopard skink (Ctenotus pantherinus)Three-toed snake-tooth skink (Coeranoscincus reticulatus)Rothschild's skink (Paracontias rothschildi)Wedge-snouted skink (Chalcides sepsoides)Deraniyagala's tree skink (Lankascincus deraniyagalae)Two-lined ground skink (Scincella bilineata)Bedriaga's skink (Chalcides bedriagai)

Please donate to ARKive today

Help us share the wonders of the natural world. Donate today!

Sign up to our newsletter

Get the latest wild news direct to your inbox.

Get involved

ARKive relies on its media donors to donate photos and videos. Can you help? There are plenty of other ways you can get involved too!

X
Close

Image credit

Kasner's dwarf burrowing skink  
Kasner's dwarf burrowing skink

© Atherton de Villiers

Atherton de Villiers
Private Bag X5014
Stellenbosch, 7599
South Africa
adevilliers@capenature.co.za

X
Close

Link to this photo

ARKive species - Kasner’s dwarf burrowing skink (Scelotes kasneri) Embed this ARKive thumbnail link by copying and pasting the code below.

Terms of Use - The displayed thumbnail may be used as a link from your website to ARKive's online content for private, scientific, conservation or educational purposes only. It may NOT be used within Apps.

Read more about

X
Close

MyARKive

MyARKive offers the scrapbook feature to signed-up members, allowing you to organize your favourite ARKive images and videos and share them with friends.

X
Close

Terms and Conditions of Use of Materials

Copyright in this website and materials contained on this website (Material) belongs to Wildscreen or its licensors.

Visitors to this website (End Users) are entitled to:

  • view the contents of, and Material on, the website;
  • download and retain copies of the Material on their personal systems in digital form in low resolution for their own personal use;
  • teachers, lecturers and students may incorporate the Material in their educational material (including, but not limited to, their lesson plans, presentations, worksheets and projects) in hard copy and digital format for use within a registered educational establishment, provided that the integrity of the Material is maintained and that copyright ownership and authorship is appropriately acknowledged by the End User.

End Users shall not copy or otherwise extract, alter or manipulate Material other than as permitted in these Terms and Conditions of Use of Materials.

Additional use of flagged material

Green flagged material 

Certain Material on this website (Licence 4 Material) displays a green flag next to the Material and is available for not-for-profit conservation or educational use. This material may be used by End Users, who are individuals or organisations that are in our opinion not-for-profit, for their not-for-profit conservation or not-for-profit educational purposes. Low resolution, watermarked images may be copied from this website by such End Users for such purposes. If you require high resolution or non-watermarked versions of the Material, please contact Wildscreen with details of your proposed use.

Creative commons material

Certain Material on this website has been licensed to Wildscreen under a Creative Commons Licence. These images are clearly marked with the Creative Commons buttons and may be used by End Users only in the way allowed by the specific Creative Commons Licence under which they have been submitted. Please see http://creativecommons.org for details.

Any other use

Please contact the copyright owners directly (copyright and contact details are shown for each media item) to negotiate terms and conditions for any use of Material other than those expressly permitted above. Please note that many of the contributors to ARKive are commercial operators and may request a fee for such use.

Save as permitted above, no person or organisation is permitted to incorporate any copyright material from this website into any other work or publication in any format (this includes but is not limited to: websites, Apps, CDs, DVDs, intranets, extranets, signage, digital communications or on printed materials for external or other distribution). Use of the Material for promotional, administrative or for-profit purposes is not permitted.