#prehensile tailed skink

[herpsandbirds]

Solomon Island Prehensile-tailed Skink (Corucia zebrata), family Scincidae, endemic to the Solomon Islands archipelago

Arboreal, herbivorous, crepuscular.

The largest known species of skink, they can grow to a total length of 32 inches (81 cm).

Live-bearing, they provide parental care for the young, after birth, as well. Females are known to be fiercely protective of the young.

They are actually social, and live in extended family groups.

This has been scientifically proven to be one of the best lizards, and I love them.

photograph by Josh More

[rubberhosetoons]

Two species of Lizard I think are neat

[hikichanbeatz2000]

Solomon 🦎🔯

here's some facts about Solomon:

-before she died, she was the queen of Israel

-she died due to execution (hanging)

-shes 999 years old, making her one of the oldest demons to live in hell

-shes a lizard demon

-shes based off of an Solomon islands skink (also known as an prehensile tailed skink)

-she has the ability to turn into an lizard

-shes the great great grandma of the ars goetia family

-she currently lives in the greed ring

[switchbackhyperloop]

If I had a Crysallis it would look like this guy:

His name is Petey. He’s a Prehensile Tailed Skink and tries to kill me every time he sees me. He's mean and I love him.

[sabistarphotos]

February 6, 2023

Animal Kingdom, Walt Disney World

[strigiformthunderstorm]

He loves his forest time

[kaijutegu]

Unfortunately no to both!

However if you want to hear about a super cute species that DOES adopt, check out prehensile tailed skinks. Nick Stacey down at Fragile Planet in Texas has a group of seven- he just keeps adding babies and the adults just keep going "yeah, ok, these are ours now."

That's the big female in front and one of her adoptees in the back.

PLEASE BE HETEROSEXUAL PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE

[cyberpawn]

with regards to the previous post:

that's why it's so fun when in some concept/AU Vale has a prehensile tail!! Because I get to write Vale essentially going 'okay so im just gonna literally hang around this ROCKS'

[aquariumpacific]

Skink Dinner 🥬

Prehensile-tailed skinks Monkey and Banjo share a snack! 🥬

These animals have been longtime ambassadors while living behind the scenes, but they are now on exhibit for the first time in AOP history! They also welcomed their first baby together last year, MoJo. Stop by our new Frogs: Facing a Changing World exhibit to see this adorable family! 👨‍👩‍👦

Video by Animal Care Specialist Nicole

[switchbackhyperloop]

We have a ton of safety protocols for the gila monster at my work. We have to radio every time we open or close his enclosure, and we have periodic Venomous Bite Drills where we practice the WHOLE SHEBANG, from the initial call for help to driving to the ER.

For his part, Herman the gila monster is a sweet, floppy boi who is so lazy he eats his food mainly by just sort of falling on it.

Meanwhile, our nonvenomous, fully herbivorous prehensile-tailed skink will take your finger off as soon as look at you.

[herpsandbirds]

Solomon Island Prehensile-tailed Skink (Corucia zebrata), mother and baby, family Scincidae, endemic to the Solomon Islands archipelago

Arboreal, herbivorous, crepuscular.

The largest known species of skink, they can grow to a total length of 32 inches (81 cm).

Live-bearing, they provide parental care for the young, after birth, as well. Females are known to be fiercely protective of the young.

They are actually social, and live in extended family groups.

This has been scientifically proven to be one of the best lizards, and I love them.

photograph via: Orlando Science Center

[bethanythebogwitch]

Original New Zealand Pokemon

Another post of Fakemon for my original Goorda region based on a combination of Australia and Aotearoa/New Zealand. I've given Australia much more focus so far, so I'm balancing things out by making more kiwi Pokemon. But not an actual kiwi Pokemon. I already did that one.

Tinamu, the Green Stone Pokémon, rock-type. These shy Pokomon live deep underground and are tended to by their parents. Their bodies are made of a rare and valuable green stone and they make their burrows near deposits of this stone. Miners looking to harvest this stone traditionally leave food for the Tinamu as a form of trade.

Tinamu evolves to Pouina, the Green Stone Pokemon, rock/ghost type. When a Pouina wraps its tail around its neck, it gains the power to see into the spirit world. The icon of a Pouina wrapped around itself is used as a symbol of harmony and connection to one's ancestors.

Pouina evolves to Mananamu, the Green Stone Pokemon, rock/ghost type. When a Mananamu ties its tail into a knot, it gains the power to walk between this world and the world of spirits. Legends say that in the past, war almost broke out between the living and the dead until a hero with a Mananamu calmed the ghosts. Since then, Mananamu have been used by psychics and shamans as messengers between worlds.

The Tinamu line are based on pounamu, several types of green stone found in Aotearoa that is culturally important to the Maori and is frequently seen carved into multiple symbols. I tried to work the carvings into the designs. They are also based on the Manaia, a legendary creature often depicted in pounamu carvings (I specifically took inspiration from this carving). The Manaia is a messenger between the human world and the spirit world and its symbol is used to ward off evil. It is often depicted with the head of a bird and the tail of a fish and is often depicted curled into a figure 8, which is where I got the idea of the Pokemon wrapping their tails around themselves. I also based Mananamu on a hadrosaur, specifically a Parasaurolophus, mostly because I thought it would be cool. Their names come form "tiny", "pounamu", and "Manaia"

Sprink: the Bungee Pokemon, normal-type. Sprink have long, prehensile tails that can extend to great lengths, then retract. They wrap their tails around tree branches and wit for bug Pokemon to pass beneath. Then, they jump, catch the bug, and their tails retract to pull Sprink back up with its prey. The sport of bungee jumping was inspired by Sprink.

Sprink is based on skinks, many species of which are native to Aotearoa, and bungee jumping, which (in its modern form) was invented in NZ. The markings on Sprink's body are based on safety harnesses. TBH, I may go back to the drawing board on this one. I feel like it's missing something. Its name comes from "skink" and "spring"

Pāunomacre, the Abalone Pokemon, psychic-type. These strange Pokemon levitate through the air with their psychic powers and habitually collect and examine objects with their tentacles and eyes. The iridescent colors on their shells constantly shift and can mesmerize those who look for too long. Jewellery and carvings made Pāunomacre shells are highly valuable due to their shifting colors and high quality.

Pāunomacre is based on abalone, large sea snails known for the layer of iridescent nacre (mother of pearl) that line the inside of their shells. The shells are often used to make jewelry and decoration. For Pāunomacre, I added an extra shell on the bottom, put the nacre on the outside, and made it into a flying saucer. he tentacles are inspired by sensory tentacles on abalone while the ring of blue eyes around the body comes from scallops. The name comes from "pāua" (the Maori word for abalone), "anomaly", and "nacre".

Korm, the Root Pokemon, ground/grass type. These worm-like Pokemon are actually burrowing plants. When they feel safe, Korm expose their rear ends to the air and unfurl the fronds growing from them to absorb sunlight. Korm have soft bodies that leave them vulnerable to predators. As a result, they are very shy and will burrow away at the first sign of danger. Dirt that Korm burrows through is left enriched in nutrients and supports plant growth.

Korm evolves to Woodworm, the Root Pokemon, grass/ground type. It has developed a powerful yet flexible armored tube of wood around its body that supports larger fronds that can reach higher into the air. When threatened, Woodworm retracts its soft body into its wooden tube. If a small forest appears out of nowhere, It is likely a colony of Woodworm that have decided to stop and photosynthesize for a while.

Korm and Woodworm are based on a number of influences. First, they are earthworms and Aotearoa and Australia have some remarkable large earthworm species. Earthworms help recycle nutrients into the soil, which is why Korm leaves enriched soil where it grows. Second, they are based on ferns and fern trees. The Koru is a spiral symbol that represents an unfurling silver fern frond, which I tried to recreate in Korm's design. The tube that Woodworm has is based on tube worms, aquatic relatives of earthworms that build tubes they can retract into for protection. Korm's name comes from "Koru" and "worm" while Woodworm's name is a pun on "wormwood".

Cololite, the Stromatolite Pokemon, rock-type. Cololite are so strange it took scientists decades before they deciphered its biology. Cololite is a colony of microbes that work together to grow a hollow structure of living rock. Smaller stones bud off of the central body and can be levitated and manipulated through unknown means. By the tine the central stone splits off of the rock it grows from, it is ready to evolve.

Cololite evolves to Concraki, the Stone Colony Pokemon, rock-type. Concraky is a group of spherical, hollow boulders built and controlled by a hive mind of microscopic organisms. The boulders levitate and can be arranged into any configuration, though they are always directed by the largest boulder. As the boulders grow, they crack open and eventually shatter. The fragments of shattered boulder are believed to act as seeds from which new Cololite grow.

Cololite and Concraki are based on stromatolites, stone structures built by generations of photosynthetic bacteria and archaea. As the bacterial colonies grow, they lay down layers of sediment that results in an iconic layered appearance that is represented in the base of Cololite. Most stromatolites are only known from sollils, but there are living ones living in places around the world, including Australia. Concraki is also based on the Moeraki boulders or Kaihinaki, a series of spherical, hollow concretions found on Koekohe Beach. I wanted to make something very bizarre with these, making a Pokemon that doesn't even look like a Pokemon. Their names come from "colony", "stromatolite", "concretion", and "Moeraki".

Previous posts in this series: new evolutions, misc 4, misc 3, single stages, non-natives, regional standards, creepy lines, regional variants, birds, early game standards, misc 2, misc 1, Johto starter variants, starters,

[igneous-crocnroll]

Awwwww oh my gosh that Zappa design is so cute!!! (sorry I didn't do my homework and check if someone had already asked, I should have looked further)

If I may continue my curiosity, especially since I know a lot of the critters you draw are of the fluffy sort, have you done Answer before? (Actually looked through your tags this time and don't think I saw him) since the closest things he has to animal motifs are snakes and frogs bc of his battle summons, would he still be fluffy to you? Scaly? Is there any hard and fast rule to help you decide what to make a character? I'm interested in your creative process, if you're willing to share it!

Don't worry one bit!! I was actually thinking about drawing him once more, I welcome repeat requests! Buuut if they are repeats, I encourage suggestions of poses, situations OR perhaps different outfits (I've drawn an acr Faust followed by a requested Strive Faust, for example), otherwise the poses I think about just keep getting crazier...

The last time I drew answer was AAAGES ago, and I was a bit shy about tagging my art since I was just getting into Guilty Gear... I'm always shy about invading a tag with my funny animals at first. Either way I don't blame you for not finding him (he was untagged) and this is my chance at redesigning him!!

I think both snakes and frogs fit him very well - though to account for his spikes, we can make him a Spiny bush viper or a Crested Forest Toad.

Draft edit: I typed a whole article about my animal-picking process and it's making the post LOOOONG, so here it is below a cut!

I think... When making a character an animal, I like to discuss it with a few friends first, bounce some ideas off of them. It usually comes down to "what animal I want to draw"

There are of course moments when the work is done for me (Like Leo, Croe, Izuna, etc.) but even then a reversal of expectations is always fun. I don't think anyone would disagree that Elphelt is bunny like, but I made Aria, Valentine and Jacko lizards*, so how can I finangle this conundrum in a way I'm satisfied with? Well, I give Valentine, Jacko and Ramlethal things like manes and mammalian-like ears, and gave Elphelt horns and a lizard like tail. Meeting in the middle! I like to restrict hybrids and fantastical creatures to special characters (the gears and the valentines, for example), but I do often make exceptions for characters I really like (Hi Baiken!).

(*Own bias. I'm a croc! I'm a dragon! I'm a croc and a dragon and I like my reptiles! Aria happens to be a monkey tail skink because I learned about the existence of this animal recently... and they have prehensile tails! How cool is that?)

Though not Guilty Gear, back in The Day I made Lisa Silverman from Persona 2 half mountain bongo half lioness hybrid. Not to get too deep into her story, this was both to consolidate her connection to the zodiac Taurus, to her friend Tatsuya, and her feeling of otherness from those around her. Sin would also count as a hybrid, but it only really shows when he's older. Don't mind his tail.

Some other times, I like to keep in mind the region they're from and try to pick an animal from there. This is why Axl is a badger! This can play a bit into hurtful or boring stereotypes, so I try to be careful about it. That's also another issue - a lot of animals are used for insults (rats, snakes, cows, pigs, etc.) and even though I never do this out of hatred, someone else can misunderstand me, so that's another thing to keep in mind.

If characters belong to a group, I can follow a theme! With the Conclave, they're ancient creatures from rrroughly the ice age, and I try to have one mammal, one fish, one reptile, one bird and one, er, something else. Work in progress. Which one of them is more bug-like...

But the most important part to think about, for me, is motifs. Bedman and Delilah, with their oneiric motif, are sheep, because of "counting sheep"... Though Delilah could've been an owl, a creature quite associated with the night-time. Faust is an old world vulture, because though looming, creepy, with an odd gait (you HAVE to go see videos of vultures walking about, its so funny), he's doing an essential job, and he's actually quite kind! The Jellyfish Pirates are marine animals, May being an otter because of her speed and strength and Jovial Disposition. Frederick is a Gorilla, not just because of the jokes regarding his play-style, but because despite their looks, they are usually timid, gentle and inquisitive animals.

It's also because of motifs that characters like Ky don't have a single set animal. He's a wolf because of canines, he acts as a bridge between mankind and "the beasts", a pack animal who is quite fierce in battle but cares dearly for his family. He's a unicorn because of his dichotomy with dragons, because of his newly acquired gear blood (fantastical animal!), because of his Noble Appearance, his royalty, and lets be honest he's kind of horsey isn't he.

Sometimes I like to go for lesser known animals whenever I can, because to be quite honest I love zoology and I want everyone to appreciate the great variety of fauna that exists in the world! Sadly it doesn't always work out, because it's easier to recognize a character as a Lion than as a black-footed cat. It's the thought that matters, I suppose!

Even after an animal is picked, that choice can change because of my best friends the shapes. I've been told my art is very "shapes" (sic) and it is In Fact a point of character design I focus a lot on. Your first impression of a character can say a lot about them! Sometimes the conjuction of the animal's shapes and the character's shapes don't work out, in which case I can make them an Interesting Inversion Of The Norm, if that would make sense for the character, or I can pick another animal. Jam is currently in Animal Limbo because she was meant to be a hedgehog (spiky hair... yeah, sometimes I can be basic), but they're not exactly known as "agile" animals unless you count a certain blue blur. Stocky legs make for cruddy high jump kicks.

(Though I think it's pretty obvious I like to draw characters on the stockier, heftier side. Never be ashamed to follow your heart when drawing a character, it's what makes your art yours!)

When drawing my pear shaped dragons I have a lil bit more freedom, since I can just pick and choose different parts.

Thennn... When it comes to colours, I usually stick to variants of the hair colour, if it happens to be distinctive enough. Inevitably I'll pick colours from the outfit because they're associated with the character (sol is red, ky is blue, i like funny animals, and I bet so do you!), but usually change a bit of its values so it doesnt blend into the actual outfit.

Faust's feathers are my self-proclaimed greatest moment of genius, being greenish blue and inspired by his shirt. It's not like there was much hair to pick from!

Sin and Dizzy were a special case of being the fanartist's precious favourites, with their colours, designs and patterns being tweaked since... 2023, I think? You can go back and see just how different they both looked!

Now, everything that comes next, the sky is the limit! How will them being a funny animal affect their behaviour, fighting style, what funny jokes can be made? Its all up to you!

[bitchybylershipper]

should I watch clarence

THE PREHENSILE TAILED SKINK AT THE [REDACTED] ZOO??????

[ningauinerd]

While most of the stuff I post in this blog is going to be Australia oriented given that's what I'm most knowledgeable on (and have the most resources for), I also want to occasionally branch out to talk about wildlife from surrounding landmasses every so often - wider Oceania, Wallacea, and generally anything east of the Wallace Line (where the animals become funni). Today, I wanted to start off by briefly introducing one set of islands I find to be particularly overlooked, the Solomon Archipelago, better known as the Solomon Islands.

(Image credit: Wikimedia)

Isolated ever since they first rose above the waves 40 million years ago, the Solomon Islands has been dubbed the ""the Galapagos of the Western Pacific" by renowned mammalogist Tim Flannery for the sheer uniqueness of its fauna. Sitting to the east of New Guinea, the archipelago consists of seven main islands and thousands of smaller islands that vary greatly in size, from impressive volcanic islands like Kolombangara to countless tiny coral cays. Naturally, the islands are clothed almost entirely in tropical rainforests, from lush lowland jungles to misty cloud forests over 2,000 metres above sea level, with some areas of seasonal dry forest and grassland on the on the northern slopes of Guadalcanal being the main exception.

Despite its close proximity to New Guinea (and therefore continental Australia), the Solomon Islands possess no native marsupials - instead it is a world of giant skinks, coconut-eating bats and mysterious rodents.

(Image credit: Tourism Solomons)

Easily the most famous animal from the Solomon Islands is the prehensile-tailed skink (Corucia zebrata), also known as the monkey-tailed skink or simply as the Solomon Islands skink. These are the largest of all living skinks, measuring up to 81 centimetres in length, and they are adapted to an arboreal way of life, feeding on leaves, fruit, flowers and fresh shoots. Like many skinks in the subfamily Egerniinae, the prehensile-tailed skink also has a pretty highly developed social life, more like that of a mammal than a typical reptile. They live a social group known as a circulus, in which different individuals band together to protect each other's offspring, and some pairs have even been known to practice long-term monogamy (practically "mating for life").

(Image credit: Johnathan Richmond)

After big skink, the fauna of the Solomon Islands instantly drops into the territory of "obscure creature even most animal nerds don't know about", but they are no less remarkable or unique. Take the monkey-faced bats (Pteroplex) for example. As their name suggests, this endemic genus is notable for their highly unusual thick head shape, which gives them a vaguely monkey-like appearance. The resemblance to primates is no coincidence, for the lack of competing mammals on the islands aside from a few rats has led them to take up a lifestyle unlike that of any other bat. Their canine teeth are enormous, and what's more, possess a double cusp - something completely unique among mammals. Their boxy, powerful jaws and complex teeth are designed for tackling particularly tough fruits and nuts, and they are well known for their ability to crack into green coconuts. There are five species of monkey-faced bat scattered across the Solomon Islands, with the largest being the greater monkey-faced bat (P. flanneryi), which can have a wingspan of over 1.5 metres and weighs in at about 800 grams.

Guadalcanal monkey-faced bat (Pteralopex atrata), juvenile (Image credit: Johnathan Richmond again, legend)

(also kinda irrelevant here but I really gotta talk about the Fijian monkey-faced bat sometime. what a knee slapper)

However, bats aren't the only coconut crackers on the Solomon Islands, for they are also home to several genera of rats that reach pretty gargantuan sizes. The largest species is Poncelet's giant rat (Solomys ponceleti), which reaches over a kilogram in weight and has quite an unusual appearance, with long but sparse dark brown hair, pinkish-white skin and a crest or mane down the back - unfortunately I cannot find any photographs or even illustrations of this species online. The impressively named emperor rat (Uromys imperator) was almost as large, but it is only known from 3 specimens collected in the 1880s and is now considered to likely be extinct. In a demonstration of how much of the Solomons remain under-surveyed however, a new species of giant Uromys, the vika or Vangunu giant rat (U. vika) was discovered by westerners only in 2015, although it had been known to the locals for far longer. This orange-haired coconut-chewer is unfortunately only known from a single specimen for now, but it weighed in at 0.5-1 kg and now represents the largest known member of its genus on the islands.

The only photograph of a living vika (Image credit: O. Revon)

Also just to keep with the pattern of everything being giant (and therefore cool), this huge frog, the giant webbed frog (Cornufer guppyi), also calls the Solomons home. I don't know much about them but they seem like cool guys.

Remember this is only meant to be a brief overview! Would love to talk more about the Solomons sometime, as well as more in-depth about the species featured here.

[suchusoid]

the wonder world of herptile features

I've talked a fair bit about my oc herpeton decided to talk about my inspiration for his design. Essentially, this is listing out his features and showing what reptile or amphibian the feature is from.

First is his head shape. His head is like that of crocodile but more specifically, an american crocodile, and his has tough armor

His teeth are retractable coated in iron, and has a forked tongue like a komodo dragon.

His tongue is 2.5 times his body length, his skin and eye pigment can change, he has a spur on his ankle and his eyes are telescopic like a veiled chameleon.

He is spiny has a dewlap like a pricklenape

His dewlap can extend to ridiculous proportions like a fan throated lizard

He has cheek frills like a toadhead agama

His blood and bones are green like a green tree skink.

His jaws are unhingable like a gans egg eater

his underside has setae like a gecko

His underside is armored like a turtle

His skin is bumpy like an elephant snake

His skin is also hhdrophobic like a water anole

His body is multipled jointed and flexible like a tree boa

he compressable winglike memabranes similar to a draco

His sides and tail have spines like a ribbed newt

His tail is prehensile like a monkey skink

Can emit mucous like a frog

He has a third eye like a tuatara

He has venom muscle like a spitting cobra

He has a lure on his tongue like a snapping turtle

And I think that covers it, any questions?