Wildlifeof India
Eutropis carinata
Skinks & Lacertids
Photo: (c) Devika M B, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY (May be cropped or resized)
Eutropis carinata
Basic stats
Habitat
Open areas; terrestrial
Range
Bangladesh, India (except the north-west), Maldives, Myanmar and Nepal; possibly Bhutan
Clutch size
2–20 eggs
Size
Up to 37cm; 25cm common (head and body about 9cm)
The keeled Indian mabuya, also called the many-keeled grass skink or, ambiguously, the golden skink, is a skink of South Asia. The body is robust with a moderate, blunt snout and scaly lower eyelids. It is brown to olive or bronze above, uniform or with dark spots or lengthwise streaks along the edges of the scales, and whitish or yellowish below. The maximum length is 37 cm, with 25 cm common (Wikipedia, general species account).
It is active by day and lives on the ground, often seen basking or foraging in open areas. It lays eggs, 2–20 at a time, in a self-dug hole or under fallen logs, between August and September. Hatchlings emerge between May and June. The Reptile Database lists Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Mizoram, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha.
Quick answers
- What habitat does the Eutropis carinata live in?
- Open areas; terrestrial
- Where is the Eutropis carinata found?
- Bangladesh, India (except the north-west), Maldives, Myanmar and Nepal; possibly Bhutan
- How many eggs does the Eutropis carinata lay?
- 2–20 eggs
- How big is the Eutropis carinata?
- Up to 37cm; 25cm common (head and body about 9cm)