The Indian forest skink

An Indian forest skink is seen in Meilin Park, Futian District. Photos by Issac Cohen

The Indian forest skink

The Indian forest skink (Sphenomorphus indicus) is a fascinating species of skink we can find in Shenzhen. This charming 15-centimeter-long lizard has a very short neck and relatively small legs, with a cylindrical tail of about the length of its body. It has a gleaming appearance with rows of tiny scales around the center of its body with variant coloration depending on the age and sex of the animal. The adults are brown on top with a distinctive blackish frame in the center of the body and a lighter underbelly. The top of the body also may have some dark marks.

铜蜓蜥，俗称石龙子或四脚蛇，是深圳常见的本土蜥蜴。石龙子身长15厘米，颈、腿部甚短，尾部呈圆锥形，与躯干等长。体色金属色，背中央鳞片颜色较深，并随个体年龄及性别的差异呈不同颜色。成年个体背部为棕色缀黑色纵纹，间有零星黑色细斑，腹部颜色则较浅。

The Indian forest skink is an insectivore, feeding on various insects and other small invertebrates. It forages at night among leaf litter or shrubs.

石龙子属食虫动物，常在地面落叶层及林下层灌木中捕食昆虫及小型无脊椎动物。

An Indian forest skink is seen in Meilin Mountain, Meilin Park, Futian District.

It is oviparous, meaning that it lays eggs rather than giving birth to live young, and females can lay up to four eggs per clutch, which hatch after an incubation period of around two months.

石龙子属卵生动物，雌蜥每窝产卵可达4枚，孵化期为2个月。

The Indian forest skink is essential to its ecosystem as a predator of insects and other small invertebrates. It also provides food for larger predators such as birds of prey and snakes. It is also an important indicator species, meaning that its presence or absence can provide valuable information about the ecosystem’s health. Because any change in the standard conditions of its habitat can severely affect them, its presence is a positive sign that things are in order.

石龙子既捕食昆虫及小型无脊椎动物，也被猛禽和蛇类捕食，因此在维系生态系统平衡中扮演着重要的角色。石龙子还是极具研究参考价值的环境指示物种，周遭的生境只要出现一点细微的变化，都会对它们产生巨大的影响，甚至导致迁离。因此，如果某个区域有石龙子常驻，表明此处的生态系统处于健康、稳定的状态。

An Indian forest skink is seen in Meilin Park, Futian District.

Let’s keep protecting our forests so we can enjoy this and other species in the future in our beautiful city.

让我们携手保护好本地的森林资源，让石龙子和其他物种继续这座城市里繁衍生息。