Injuries reflecting intra- and interspecific interactions in the Snake-eyed Skink Ablepharus kitaibelii (Bibron & Bory de Saint-Vincent, 1833) (Squamata, Scincidae) from Bulgaria

By

Vergilov, Vladislav
Kornilev, Yurii V.

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2019-8-23

Original Publication

Subterranean Biology

Volume

32

Pages

171--175

Subjects

Aggression , biting , copulation , limb , lizard , Tail

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/herpetozoa.32.e37735

 

Abstract

The Snake-eyed Skink’s intra- and inter-specific interactions and their impacts on the individual (e.g. injuries) have received little attention so far. As part of copulation, male lizards bite the females; observations confirm an old report that bites occur in the fore side of the body, along with more recently published information about the back side. Additionally, out of 435 individuals observedin situ, 10 had missing extremities (toes, ankles, etc.); however, further studies should identify the causes of such injury, e.g. male-male combat, predators. For the first time, an adult male was observed biting a juvenileex situ; the specific reasons, however, remain unknown. This report should generate further interest in ecological and behavioral studies, assessing the costs and benefits to potential territorial defense, intra-specific combat, and predator pressure and escape mechanisms.