Save our endangered legless burrowing skinks
The only difference between the two species is that the Mozambican skink has very small, almost invisible back legs.
THE Durban dwarf burrowing skink, also known as Scelotes inornatus, is probably one of the most endangered reptiles in South Africa.
The Bluff is most likely the last place on earth where they can be found. Warren Dick, who encounters these lizards often, in his garden gives more information about them.
At first glance the small lizard looks like a snake. It doesn’t do them any good as far as keeping them alive, seeing that a lot of people chop up anything that looks like a snake.
“I am often asked, why is it a lizard, and not a snake? Unlike snakes and very much like lizards, they have proper eyelids and can easily shed their tail in self-defence.”
They are shiny brown in colour and only reach a maximum length of about 14cm.
They live in soft soil on the Bluff, where they feed on small insects. These interesting lizards give live birth to two or three babies at a time.
There are two different species of burrowing skinks in Durban that look very similar to the Durban dwarf burrowing skink and the Mozambique dwarf burrowing skink.
The Mozambican skink is wide spread in Durban, however, the Durban skinks distribution has now been restricted almost entirely to the Bluff. It has all but died out in other areas where they used to be common, such as Montclair.
The main reason for the threat on these lizards is because of habitat destruction and the use of pesticides.
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“I haven’t used any poisons in my garden in more than 20 years, making it the perfect habitat for these lizards. I am blessed to have a healthy population of Durban dwarf burrowing skinks in my garden.”
If you would like to make contact with Warren to have some of your interesting insects, snakes or spiders identified, call or WhatsApp him on 072 211 0353.
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