Bojer's skink

Taxobox
name = Bojer's Skink
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Reptilia
ordo = Squamata
subordo = Sauria
familia = Scincidae
genus = "Gongylomorphus"
species = G. bojerii
binomial = "Gongylomorphus bojerii"
binomial_authority = (Desjardins, 1831)The Bojer's Skink ("Gongylomorphus bojerii" formerly "Scelotes bojeri") is a small skink from the Gongylomorphus genus.

Description

This species is named after Wenceslas Bojer. Its size is about 6 cm. It has developed five fingers on each extremity.

Range

It occurs in patches of the Black River Gorges National Park and on some off-shore islands of Mauritius including Ilot Vacoas, Round Island, Serpent Island, Ilot Gabriel, Pigeon Rock, Flat Island, Gunner’s Quoin, Ile aux Aigrettes, and Ile de la Passe.

Threats

It was once thought to be extinct but it was rediscovered in 1970. Especially shrews have caused the decline of the skinks. Thanks to the efforts of the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation staff the invasive species could be eradicated from its habitat. In addition the establishing of captive breeding and reintroducing programs in the Gerald Durrell Endemic Wildlife Sanctuary lead to the increasing of the population.

External links

* [http://www.smd.qmul.ac.uk/gc/projects.html Genetics of Gongylomorphus skinks]