Red-sided skink, female
Only the males have the red stripe underneath, the females having reddish coloured legs. They are normally very secretive, but this one was enjoying a spot of sunbathing. I think this one is a juvenile as it was tiny, with a body length of about 6cm. Adults can grow as large as 20cm.
This is the male:
The Red-sided Skink is a small, slender species of skink in the subfamily Lygosominae. It is indigenous to Southern Africa, where it typically occurs in coastal thicket and leaf litter along the South African coast - from Cape Town, eastwards along the coast as far as Mozambique. A few tiny isolated populations also occur in moist mountainous areas further inland.
This small, elegant skink has a shiny, brightly striped body. Males change colour in the breeding season, developing bright.. more
