Cryptoblepharus egeriae: Difference between revisions

The Christmas island blue-tailed skink typically grows to bea 4[[Snout–vent length|snout-5cm into-vent length]] (SVL) of {{cvt|4|–|5|cm|in}}.<ref name=":2" /> It can be identified by its small black body with two yellow stripsstripes running vertically down the skink's back and intoonto its vibrant blue tail. The skink can use its blue tail to draw a predator’s attention away from its body by separating its tail from its body. The bright colour of the skink's tail means predators are much more likely to notice the tail than the skink's black body.<ref name=":1" />

The Christmas Island blue-tailed skink is a forager known as an [[insectivore]].<ref name=":2" /> TheirIts diet primarily consists of [[Cricket (insect)|crickets]], [[Beetle|beetles]], [[Fly|flies]], [[Grasshopper|grasshoppers]], [[Spider|spiders]], and [[Earthworm|earthworms]]. TheyIt will occasionally eat some [[vegetation]], though insects remain theirits primary source of food. Because of its small size, the Christmas Island blue-tailed skink forages for its food on the ground, over exposed rocks and low-layinglying vegetation, and will generally only eat prey that are slower moving.<ref name=":4" />

For the Christmas Island blue-tailed skink, theirthe first [[Seasonal breeder|breeding season]] occurs when theymales and females are approximately one year old.<ref name=":4" /> The Christmas Island blue-tailed skink typically lives for seven years in the wild, six of which are active breeding years. The male Christmas Island blue-tailed skink will demonstrate [[Courtship display|courtship]] behaviour when trying to find a mate. The female Christmas Island blue-tailed skink will emit biochemicals for the males to smell, letting them know that the female is in her fertile stage of [[reproduction]].<ref name=":1" /> Male Christmas Island blue-tailed skinks will often fight each other to win a female mate during breeding season. These skinks are [[Polygyny|polygamous]] which increases their chance of having offspring. Once the female Christmas Island blue-tailed skink has been fertilized, they arebeing [[oviparous]], andit will generally lay two eggs at a time, with a 75-day [[incubation period]].<ref name=":4" />

The Christmas Island blue-tailed skink is [[Endemism|endemic]] to [[Christmas Island]].<ref name=":5" /> Until the late 1990s, the blue-tailed skinkit could be found over the whole of Christmas Island. The species' distribution became more sparse once the yellow crazy ant was introduced to the island, leading to a decline in the Christmas Island blue-tailed skink's population.<ref name=":1" />

The Christmas Island blue-tailed skink is now extinct in the wild. However, [[Taronga Zoo]] currently has an active breeding program hosted by [[Taronga Conservation Society]], in hopes of being able to release some of the skinks back into their native habitat.<ref name=":3" /> The breeding program has been running for over a decade. Since the Taronga Conservation Society conservation efforts began, 150 Christmas Island blue-tailed skinks have been released back onto Christmas Island, and 300 skinks were transported to Pulu Blan.<ref name=":3" /> These skinks were successfully bred in captivity by Taronga Conservation after Christmas Island national parks rangers were able to successfully save 66 skinks before their population was wiped out.<ref name=":3" />

The threat of extinction is largely attributed to the yellow crazy antsant that werewas unintentionally brought to Christmas Island in 1980.<ref name=":0" /> YellowThe yellow crazy antsant had a large growth in theirits population which coincided with the decline of the Christmas Island blue-tailed skink as well as the decline of much of the biodiversity on Christmas Island.<ref name=":0" />

''C. egeriae'' is most closely related to the [[Cryptoblepharus metallicus|''metallicus'']] group of ''[[Cryptoblepharus]],'' native to Australia, with the estimated divergence of ''C. egeriae'' from the group taking place around 7seven million years ago,<ref name=":5">{{Cite journal |last=Oliver |first=Paul M. |author-link=species:Paul M. Oliver |last2=Blom |first2=Mozes P. K. |last3=Cogger |first3=Harold G. |last4=Fisher |first4=Robert N. |author4-link=species:Robert N. Fisher |last5=Richmond |first5=Jonathan Q. |last6=Woinarski |first6=John C. Z. |date=2018-06-30 |title=Insular biogeographic origins and high phylogenetic distinctiveness for a recently depleted lizard fauna from Christmas Island, Australia |url= |journal=Biology Letters |volume=14 |issue=6 |pages=20170696 |doi=10.1098/rsbl.2017.0696 |pmc=6030605 |pmid=29899126}}</ref>