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Skink at Amboseli National Park, Kenya Mabuya sp? |
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I saw this type of skink only once, and as you can tell it was too shy to come
out of the foliage for my camera. It was near the dining area at Finch Hatton's
tented camp, lurking in a bed of planted flowers along the walkway. In size and
shape it was nearly identical to the very common
African Striped Skink Mabuya
striata, so I'm pretty sure that it is some species of Mabuya, though
perhaps it is of some lookalike skink genus.
The EMBL Reptile Database lists 6 Mabuya species in Kenya: M. bayonii, M. brevicollis, M. irregularis, M. megalura, M. planifrons, and M. varia. Surprisingly, this database does not list M. striata in Kenya, though it seems clear from other information that M. striata is the common skink I saw throughout Uganda and Kenya. But the EMBL is very good, so I'm a little worried. This skink was lined with thin stripes, alternating light and dark brown. This pattern was very distinct, so I'm hoping I'll run into a photo of one of the Kenyan Mabuya species that I recognize. Please send me mail if you have any further information, reference suggestions, or wild guesses that might help me identify this skink.
7/7/00 -- Dr. Robert Drewes identified this skink as Mabuya brevicollis. | ||||
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