Striped Skink
Name
Striped Skink, African Striped Skink [Trachylepsis striata]
Class
Reptilia
Order
Squamata
Family
Scincidae
Length_F
60 - 90 mm
Length_M
60 - 90 mm
Description
This medium-sized skink has a window in each of the lower eyelids. The ear openings are lobed. Colouration differs between the subspecies. In northern populations the head of breeding males are orange-brown, with a yellow-orange throat.
Subspecies
All 4 occur on the subcontinent. M.s. striata, M.s. sparsa, M.s. punctatissima and M.s. wahlbergii.
Distribution
Eastern Africa, south to former Transkei and North Eastern Cape, extending along the Orange River to the Richtersveld, and west through Zambia to Angola and Southern Namibia.
Breeding
Southern populations give birth to a single litter of 3 - 9 babies in summer. Reproduction may occur throughout the year in northern populations. Growth is relatively fast, sexual maturity is reached in 15 - 18 months.
Diet
Feeds on small insects (beetles, moths, etc.) and other small invertebrates.
