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Skinks of India
October 30 , 2020
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- Recently, the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) brought a study on skinks (a kind of lizard), titled Skinks of India.
- Skinks are non-venomous, highly alert, agile and fast moving and actively forage for a variety of insects and small invertebrates.
- It reveals that India is home to 62 species of skinks.
- India is home to less than 4% of the skinks across the globe.
- 62 species of skinks are found in India and about 57% of them (33 species) are endemic.
- The Western Ghats are home to 24 species of which 18 are endemic to the region.
- The Deccan Peninsular region is home to 19 species of which 13 are endemic.
- India is home to 16 genera of skinks, four of which are endemic.
- The four genera of skinks are:
- Sepsophis: Sepsophis punctatus is endemic to the northern part of Eastern Ghats
- Barkudia: They are limbless skinks found in the hills and coastal plains of the eastern coast.
- Barkudia insularis is believed to be found only in the Barkud Island in Chilka lake in Odisha.
- Barkudia melanosticta is endemic to Visakhapatnam.
- Kaestlea: They are also known as blue-tailed ground skinks and are endemic to the Western Ghats.
- Ristella: They are also known as Cat skinks and endemic to the southern part of Western Ghats.
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