Tropidophorus Grayi
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''Tropidophorus grayi'', commonly called the spiny waterside skink, Gray's keeled skink, Gray's water skink, and the Philippine spiny stream skink is a relatively abundant but secretive skink
species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...
, a
lizard Lizard is the common name used for all Squamata, squamate reptiles other than snakes (and to a lesser extent amphisbaenians), encompassing over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most Island#Oceanic isla ...
in the
family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...
Scincidae. The species is
endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...
to the
Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
.


Habitat

The preferred natural
habitat In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ...
s of ''T. grayi'' are
forest A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense ecological community, community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, ...
and forest streams, at altitudes from sea level to , but it has also been found in agricultural areas adjacent to forest.''T. grayi'' lives by rivers and lakes, which gives it the common name waterside skink. Despite the warm climate in its native habitat, it prefers relatively cool temperatures in mountainous areas..


Description

''T. grayi'' has serrated scales (very spiky) which are grey-black in colour, but may also appear in pure black, reddish-brown or wooden-brown colours. The belly is white with or without brown blotches and is smooth and shiny. This makes this species look like a miniature crocodile.


Behaviour

''T. grayi'' is fast and agile. Despite its looks and speed, it is harmless, but it may occasionally bite hard, if handled. When threatened by predators this
reptile Reptiles, as commonly defined, are a group of tetrapods with an ectothermic metabolism and Amniotic egg, amniotic development. Living traditional reptiles comprise four Order (biology), orders: Testudines, Crocodilia, Squamata, and Rhynchocepha ...
hides in water. If left to swim in deep water, it may appear to drown, but it actually only plays dead. When removed, it may stay motionless for a few minutes and then return to its normal state. It is also an excellent climber, equipped with claws that can grip tree trunks and other wooden structures.


Diet

''T. grayi'' eats worms, insects, small snails, slugs, and small fishes (if it can catch one).


In captivity

In captivity, it is observed that ''T. grayi'' likes to stack itself in piles, like turtles basking in the sun, and would rather stay on dry land than in water. It is becoming quite popular as an exotic pet due to its crocodilian appearance and cheap price in the Philippines.


Tail regeneration

Like almost any species in the skink family, ''T. grayi'' can regrow its tail if severed, but the replacement tail usually is shorter and has fewer spikes than the original tail. Also, the tail of ''T. grayi'' is tougher to break than the tail of most other skinks.


Reproduction

''T. grayi'' is
ovoviviparous Ovoviviparity, ovovivipary, ovivipary, or aplacental viviparity is a "bridging" form of reproduction between egg-laying oviparity, oviparous and live-bearing viviparity, viviparous reproduction. Ovoviviparous animals possess embryos that develo ...
.


Etymology

The
specific name Specific name may refer to: * in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules: * Specific name (botany), the two-part (bino ...
, ''grayi'', is in honor of
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...
herpetologist Herpetology (from Ancient Greek ἑρπετόν ''herpetón'', meaning "reptile" or "creeping animal") is a branch of zoology concerned with the study of amphibians (including frogs, salamanders, and caecilians (Gymnophiona)) and reptiles (in ...
John Edward Gray John Edward Gray (12 February 1800 – 7 March 1875) was a British zoologist. He was the elder brother of zoologist George Robert Gray and son of the pharmacologist and botanist Samuel Frederick Gray (1766–1828). The same is used for a z ...
. Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Tropidophorus grayi'', p. 107).


References


Further reading

* Boulenger GA (1887). ''Catalogue of the Lizards in the British Museum (Natural History). Second Edition. Volume III. ... Scincidæ ....'' London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xii + 575 pp. + Plates I–XL. (''Tropidophorus grayi'', p. 364 + Plate XXX, figures 2, 2a). * Günther A (1861). "Second List of Siamese Reptiles". ''Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London'' 1861: 187–189. (''Tropidophorus grayi'', new species, p. 189). grayi Reptiles of the Philippines Reptiles described in 1861 Taxa named by Albert Günther {{Sphenomorphinae-stub