Mabuya longicaudata (long-tailed skink)

Family scincidae

With a length of 40 centimeters, the Mabuya longicaudata (long-tailed skink) has a chubby body, an extra-long tail two times more than the body. With stout limbs, it is good at running. It has many vertically fine lines on the brown back, a light yellow body side with a wide black band. Distributed in places of southern plains, forest edges, and open areas, it is the largest Taiwan native skink species. Because of the recent migration of exotic common sun skinks, its ethnic group is confined.

　　Photographed by Wang Chien-de