The great desert skink (Liopholis kintorei or Egernia kintorei), also known commonly as Kintore's egernia and by various other names including tjakura in various Aboriginal Australian languages, is a species of skink, a lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is native to the western half of Australia. It is a burrowing lizard and extremely social.
One of the common name of this skink is great desert skink.[5]
Aboriginal Australian names for the skink include tjakura, mulyamiji, tjalapa, warrana (also spelt warrarna[3]), and nampu.[6]
Description
The great desert skink is a medium-sized skink,[citation needed] reaching an average snout-to-vent length (SVL) of 19–20 cm (7.5–7.9 in), weighing around 350 g (12 oz).[6] It has smooth, small, glossy scales and is mostly rust-coloured on the top of the body, with the belly a vanilla colour. It has relatively large circular eyes and a short snout.[citation needed]
They can be distinguished from Egernia striolata because they have more labials and more pointed ear lobules.[7]
Taxonomy
L. kintorei is a species of skink, a lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to the western half of Australia.[5]
As the common name suggests, it is a desert reptile, living in burrows. The burrows can extend up to 12 m (39 ft) in length, and can have as many as 20 entrances.[8]
Behaviour
Researchers found in 2011 that out of over 5,000 species of lizards documented, this species was said to have "unique" behaviour among them with regard to their cooperative behaviour. Individuals of the great desert skink work in cooperation with one another to build and take care of their burrows, even digging out specific rooms for use as a defecatorium. Mates are faithful to one another and always mate with the same lizard, although 40 percent of males have been documented to mate with other females. The tunnels are mostly excavated by adults, while juvenile lizards contribute small "pop" holes to the system. DNA analysis has shown that immature lizards live in the same burrow with their siblings, regardless of age difference. The study, carried out in the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, also revealed that all immature lizards were full siblings in 18 of 24 burrow systems. Researchers confirmed that the lizards are family-based and keep the juveniles in the tunnel system until they mature.[8]
They hibernate in winter (May/mid-June to September/October).[3]
Diet
Tjakura is omnivorous and can be considered an opportunist generalist as it consumes a diverse range of invertebrates and plants supplemented at least occasionally with small vertebrate prey items. Culicidae (mosquitos) and Termitidae (termites) are the most frequently consumed. Tjakura actively forage both during the day and at night.
[9]
In March 2023, the first survey in a new National Recovery Plan for the great desert skink led by Indigenous rangers from across the Northern Territory, Western Australia, and South Australia was carried out. The rangers will continue to survey and collect data on the skink.[6]
^Storr, G.M. (1978). "The Genus Egernia (Lacertilia, Scincidae) in Western Australia" (PDF). Western Australian Museum Records and Supplements6: 146–187.
^Thuo, David; Macgregor, Nicholas A.; Merson, Samuel D.; Scopel, Dianne; Keogh, J. Scott; Kenny, Jeremy; Williams, Jessica L.; Guest, Tracey; Shaeleigh, Swan; McAlpin, Steve; Joseph, Leo (2024). "Metabarcoding clarifies the diet of the elusive and vulnerable Australian tjakura (Great Desert Skink, Liopholis kintorei)". Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution12: 1354318. https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2024.1354138
Further reading
Cogger HG (2014). Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia, Seventh Edition. Clayton, Victoria, Australia: CSIRO Publishing. xxx + 1,033 pp. ISBN978-0643100350.
Stirling EC, Zietz A (1893). "Scientific Results of the Elder Exploring Expedition. Vertebrata. Mammalia. Reptilia". Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia16: 154–176. (Egernia kintorei, new species, p. 171).
