Trachylepis spilogaster
The Kalahari tree skink or spiny mabuya (Trachylepis spilogaster) is a lizard in the skink family (Scincidae). The species is endemic to southern Africa, including Namibia, South Africa, western Botswana, and southern Angola.[1]
| Kalahari tree skink | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Family: | Scincidae |
| Genus: | Trachylepis |
| Species: | T. spilogaster |
| Binomial name | |
| Trachylepis spilogaster (Peters, 1882) | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Mabuya spilogaster | |
Habitat
Kalahari tree skinks have been found to live around trees that contain the large colonial nests of the sociable weaver bird. 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]
References
- "Trachylepis spilogaster". Reptile Database. Retrieved 22 November 2015.
- Rymer, Tasmin L; Thomson, Robert L; Whiting, Martin J (Nov 2014). "At home with the birds: Kalahari tree skinks associate with sociable weaver nests despite African pygmy falcon presence" (PDF). Austral Ecology. 39 (7): 839–847. doi:10.1111/aec.12152.
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