rosie posie

OH NO NO NO, YOU GET A DELUGE OF SKINKINESS!!!

Peter’s Banded Skink (Scincopus fasciatus), family Scincidae, Morocco

photograph via: Amphibians & Reptiles of Morocco

Müller’s Forest Skink (Sphenomorphus muelleri), family Scincidae, found in Indonesia

photographs by Roots, Scoots, & Scales

Mainland She Oak Skink (Cyclodomorphus michaeli), mother with pups, family Scincidae, eastern Australia

photograph by Ken Griffiths

Northern Blue-tongued Skink (Tiliqua scincoides intermedia), defensive display, family Scincidae, Cape York, QLD, Australia

photographs by Brother-Nature

Fire Skink (Mochlus fernandi), family Scincidae, found in West Africa

* Also known by the scientific name Riopa fernandi.

Photograph by Miniformat65

Yellow-belly Three-toed Skink (Saiphos equalis), family Scincidae, found in eastern Australia

The only species in this genus.

Coastal populations reproduce by laying eggs (oviparity), and mountain populations reproduce through live birth (viviparity).

photograph by Rebecca Pyles

Three Toed Earless Skink (Hemiergis decresiensis), family Scincidae, found in SE Australia

Viviparous (live bearing).

photograph by Rob Valentic

African Red-sided Skink (Trachylepis perrotetii), family Scincidae, found in central Africa

photograph by Dick Bartlett

Rainbow Skink (Mabuya margaritifera), family Scincidae, Langano, Ethiopia

Photograph by Volker Sthamer

McCoy’s Elf Skink aka Highlands Forest Skink (Anepischetosia maccoyi), family Scincidae, Australia

photograph by @skinkmania__

Great Desert Skink aka Kintore’s Skink (Liopholis kintorei), family Scincidae, Kata Tjuta Nat Park, NT, Australia

These lizards live cooperatively in underground burrow systems, with siblings and offspring, as well as with unrelated individuals and pairs.

photograph by Gary Stephenson

Prairie Skink (Plestiodon septentrionalis), male, family Scincidae, Kansas, USA

Blue Grosbeak (Passerina caerulea), male, family Cardinalidae, order Passeriformes, CA, USA

Koh Tao Caecilian (Icthyophis kohtaoensis), family Ichthyophiidae, Hon Son Island, Vietnam

Caecilians are legless amphibians, in their own order, like frogs and salamanders.

They are vertebrates.

They are NOT snakes, nor are they worms.

Most species are fossorial (burrowing), though some are aquatic.

Eastern Ground Parrot (Pezoporus w. wallicus), EAT A TASTY SEED!!!, family Psittaculidae, order Psittaciformes, Australia

Andean Motmot or Highland Motmot (Momotus aequatorialis), family Momotidae, order Coraciiformes, Colombia

Black-collared Jay (Cyanolyca armillata), family Corvidae, order Passeriformes, Colombia

Red-sided Garter Snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis), family Colubridae, Manitoba, Canada

A) normal phase (86%) B) hypermelanistic (12%) C) melanistic (2%)

These snakes were all found within a polymorphic (multiple color types) population at a den site in Manitoba, Canada. Normally, den sites are just one of these color morphs. The non-standard morphs are usually known from islands and other fragmented populations, but not usually found in these numbers from populations like this, with genetic in flow.

Common Blue Butterfly or European Common Blue (Polyommatus icarus), female, family Lycaenidae, Spain

There is a lot of variety of pattern and coloration, especially amongst females, across subspecies and geography, for this butterfly.

Black-rumped Flameback (Dinopium benghalense), male, family Picidae, order Piciformes, India

Calliope Hummingbird (Selasphorus calliope), male, family Trochilidae, order Apodiformes, BC, Canada