𝘌𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘢 𝘥𝘦𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘢 (Günther, 1875) is a large skink endemic to the Western Australia, Northern Territory and South Australia states, also known as pygmy spiny-tailed skink. When you encounter these creatures for the first time, you are likely to be captivated by their unique appearance. Their bodies are heavy and well-limbed, their heads are short, their tails are broad and flat, and their backs are prickly. These traits make the species perfectly suited to life in a tree hole. The lizards can reach 10 to 24 cm in length, and their bodies are covered with neatly arranged scales, with 24-46 middle scales. Most strikingly, their eyelids are similar in color to neighboring scales, acting as an "invisibility cloak" that perfectly blends into the environment.
A very homeward-looking🏠 pygmy spiny-tailed skink is often attached to a particular "home ", such as a hollow tree trunk, a rock crack or a hole in the ground. These "homes" can not only provide safe shelter for them, but also the main place for their daily activities. Interestingly, pygmy pink-tailed skinks exhibit fascinating social behaviors. They uniquely choose to defecate in the same spot near their homes, creating noticeable piles of feces💩. These social lizards live with other family members, basking together in the warm sun🌅. Notably, they can recognize relatives and remember individual morphological characteristics, fostering strong family bonds. Additionally, these skinks form monogamous👫 relationships, with males and females establishing long-term partnerships to reproduce and raise their offspring👨👩👧👦. This arrangement creates a stable family social structure. When a foreign skink approaches the family, they will work together to fight off the intruder and drive it away. This complex social behavior and cognitive ability shows that the skink is a « clever » lizard.
As we will see, this skink also presents a well-developed armor and defensive strategy ! They have heavy keel scales, especially those on the tail, which are often very prominent, like a sturdy suit of armor. When threatened, they quickly duck into rock crevices or tree holes, away from predators, with their limbs pressed against their bodies. Their lungs fill with gas💨 and their backs bulge, pressing their bodies against the walls of cracks that are "nailed"📌 to the substrate with their short, flat, pointed tails. This way, even if a predator tries to pull it out and causes the keel and tail to stab into the retreating side, it will be more firmly stuck in the gap.
Pygmy spiny-tailed skinks have a very special physiology: with a large, well-developed urinary bladder💦! We might expect lizards to have no bladders, like other reptiles🦎 such as snakes🐍, but in fact, the presence and size of bladders vary greatly among species. Some lizards lose their bladder when they reach adulthood, or only retain a degenerate structure called the "bladder stalk." By taking a closer look at pygmy spiny-tailed skinks, scientists found that not only did the skinks have a large, full bladder, but that the bladder was well-developed in individuals of different genders and ages, suggesting that it plays an important role in their physiological regulation👍.
So, what exactly does this bladder do? It turns out that its main function is to serve as a water reserve🚰. This skink's bladder expands significantly in the fall and winter of each year, and allows water storage💧 during this period. In times of drought🥵, the skink absorbs water from its bladder to maintain its water balance. Additionally, the bladder may also help with overall fluid balance in the body. Its bladder can absorb sodium from urine, and water absorption may happen along with ion transport, helping to maintain the balance of ions in the body.
Interested in skinks and other reptiles? Come and visit the Hong Kong Biodiversity Museum to explore their astonishing appearance, and evolution and ecology. If you enjoy this post, please share it with friends and follow us for more posts each week.👏
Text: Kailyn
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