Since I haven?t received any articles lately, I thought I?d ramble on a bit about one of my more recent acquisitions; the crocodile skink. One of the first things you will learn about these animals is that they have quite a variety of common names placed on them. These include Red-eyed Armored Skinks, Crocodile skinks, and Red-Eyed Casque-headed skinks. The bottom line is that this is one of the species that is best referred to by its scientific name Tribolonotus gracilis. The first thing that you will notice about these lizards is their prehistoric look. The term "armored" certainly fits. Bony chevrons protrude from the back forming four lines which gradually diminish near the tip of the tail. Individual head scales are virtually indistinguishable. The back of the angular head is adorned with multiple small spines which complete the armored effect. The head reminds me of a triceratops without the horns. Another characteristic of this species is the bright orange ring that nearly surrounds the eye. These animals were obtained as wild-caught animals with the hope of captive propagation.

Very little information about these animals is available. I was told that the males have characteristic pads on their hind feet used in mating. Although I am not sure that this is accurate, one of my specimens has small, but very noticeable, gray pads on the underside of the base of the three middle toes of the back legs. These are completely absent on the other. There are no other differences that I could see. These two animals are currently housed in a 40 gallon long aquarium with gravel substrate. One quarter of the tank is formed into a pool of approximately 8 inches in depth. A powerhead pump is used to circulate the water and provide biological filtration. In addition, this ensures high humidity. These animals are frequently observed in the water and seem to prefer hiding under bark that is at the edge of the water. A container of damp vermiculite is provided just in case eggs are laid. Both individuals have been observed in this container. The cage is maintained at room temperature, approximately 72 degrees Fahrenheit, but has a basking light on one end. The animals have never been observed basking. In fact these animals have never been observed in any activity other than hiding. Occasionally you can hear them scurry and plop into the water as you enter the room in the evenings. It appears that they are very nocturnal, therefore a UV light source was not provided. During the course of researching information for this article, I did find a reference indicating that metabolic bone disease was suspected in a juvenile. UV light was provided and the condition was supposedly cured. These animals are fed almost exclusively on gut-loaded crickets. The animals have been maintained in this way for approximately 4 months and appear to be ding quite well.

Another characteristic of the animals which is certainly worth mentioning is a type of defensive behavior. When handled, these animals become completely still and in many cases will remain frozen for minutes after being released. After they have figured out that they are free they will run to cover frantically.

Research performed at the Dallas Zoo Department of Herpetology indicates that neonatal care may be provided. This is not that common in lizards. In addition, it has been shown that these lizards demonstrate vocalization. It was stated that the vocalization can be induced by holding the lizard and stroking its dorsum. I tried it. It worked. The lizards made a quick high-pitched barking sound. Both lizards made noise when this was tried and the female produced a distinctively different sound however only a couple attempts were made.