Namibia Twyfelfontein Lizard Skink (1 Viewer)

[MacNara]

Hi, This was taken in Twyfelfontein in early May this year.

I noticed the post from AdamInCanada below, but I'm not sure this (pictured below) is the same thing identified in that thread as Wedge-snouted Skink. It was more 'chunky' than other skinks I've seen, and it's not pattered the same way that Adam's is. And it doesn't look like photos of Mabuya acutilabris that come up on the internet. It wasn't big, but it wasn't 'little' either - my memory is that the body would be about 10cm with the tail extra (though memory can be very deceptive, I know - I got two shots and it disappeared). However, Twyfelfontein is not desert, and so it shouldn't be the Shovel-nosed Lizard. I don't have a book of reptiles of the area, and there isn't much on the internet.

Help gratefully received.

 

[AdamfromCanada]

Hi, This was taken in Twyfelfontein in early May this year.

I noticed the post from AdamInCanada below, but I'm not sure this (pictured below) is the same thing identified in that thread as Wedge-snouted Skink. It was more 'chunky' than other skinks I've seen, and it's not pattered the same way that Adam's is. And it doesn't look like photos of Mabuya acutilabris that come up on the internet. It wasn't big, but it wasn't 'little' either - my memory is that the body would be about 10cm with the tail extra (though memory can be very deceptive, I know - I got two shots and it disappeared). However, Twyfelfontein is not desert, and so it shouldn't be the Shovel-nosed Lizard. I don't have a book of reptiles of the area, and there isn't much on the internet.

Help gratefully received.

I can't help you much, but I can agree that that is a different lizard than the one I saw at Twyfelfontein. The one I saw was slim...this guy looks a lot chunkier.

 

[Xenospiza]

It's a gecko from Namibia, which narrows down your choice to these 60 species:
http://reptile-database.reptarium.c...on=namibia&holotype=&reference=&submit=Search

Good luck! (by the way, Twyfelfontein means Doubt Spring – how appropriate).

 

[MacNara]

Hi. Thanks for the info. I went through the list.

I lightened my photo to make it better.

I think it's probably

Namib Day Gecko, Rhoptropus afer - one internet photo (claiming to be) of this was taken at Twyfelfontein, but other sites said it was a Namib Desert species -

http://www.scip.be/index.php?Page=PhotosNamibia&Lang=EN&ID=1689&PrintPreview=1

but it might be

Bradfield's Namib Day Gecko, Rhoptropus bradfieldi (diporus)

Unfortunately, there's only one photo of Bradfield's on the internet looking the right colour, and it's from above.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhoptropus

 

[Xenospiza]

The fact that they're all called "Namib Day Geckos" makes me wonder if you'll ever find out the true species, but I'm glad you got so close!
I really like that reptile database.