Since I haven't bought my reference book yet, Boonsong can you help identify this one please?
I spent the rest of the day jumping at leaves brushing my shoulders and frogs smaller than my thumbnail jumping in the dark. What a wuss.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Warning: Another lizardy-thing
This jumped out in front of me yesterday - nearly giving me a heart attack. I thought in that first second it was a snake. I'm not scared of snakes as a species but it strikes me as jolly sensible to avoid something that's poisonous or liable to squeeze me to death. Anyway, once I'd established it was marginally more scared of me than I was of it... I took some photos.
Since I haven't bought my reference book yet, Boonsong can you help identify this one please?
Since I haven't bought my reference book yet, Boonsong can you help identify this one please?
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5 comments:
The only reason why I can answer your question about lizard types is because I had lovely boys - it's a skink.
skink |ski ng k|
noun
a smooth-bodied lizard with short or absent limbs, typically burrowing in sandy ground, and occurring throughout tropical and temperate regions.
Family Scincidae: numerous genera and species.
ORIGIN late 16th cent.: from French scinc or Latin scincus, from Greek skinkos.
Catherine, I am sooo impressed. Thank you. When I get back to Bangkok I am going to buy myself a lizard reference book.
Catherine is absolutely right. It's a skink.
I think that it's probably a Many-lined Sun Skink because of the chubby body and relatively short tail. Also they're probably the most often seen of skinks. But the pinky/orangey strip could indicate an Even-toed Supple Skink.
They're harmless. All skinks appear snake like in their movements - they slither, sometimes (but rarely) without using their legs at all.
Good reference book: Snakes and Other Reptiles of Thailand - not comprehensive but cheap and easy to use, available at all bookshops - sadly no mention of frogs or toads in it.
To get rid of a snake, skink, or lizard: Rush a broom along the floor at it. They usually retreat. Don't whack it. It'll make it angry if you don't kill it. In the case of snakes "Run like hell" is the best defence.
Thanks for the link and great photos.
All the best, Boonsong
Just doing some blog reading and came by as your name kept popping up on other blogs I read :)
Your lizards in Thailand make ours here in Italy look minute.
Daughter:
Oh my god!!!
Mum, I am so proud that you are still on holiday and haven't pack up and run all the way back to our apartment 25 floors up away from anything that has more than 2 legs.... I would have.
Miss you
h xx
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