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gronovis-dwarf-burrowing-skink-211412
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gronovi's dwarf burrowing skink
Scelotes gronovii
Gronov's dwarf burrowing skink is a very small lizard without front legs and with almost imperceptible hind legs. It lives in South Africa and spends almost all its time underground in sand or loose soil.
Gronov's dwarf burrowing skink differs from most lizards by almost complete loss of legs and permanent underground life. It plays an important role in the soil ecosystem, eating insects and serving as food for snakes and birds.
searching and catching prey in the soil
trophic:carnivore
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1696.9535764957075
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150.0
1.5578667554361312
7.134751957712398
meadows, prairies, forb glades on land
Immature form that undergoes metamorphosis before adulthood.
Worker
Tail size
Were {name} like {animal}, then:
birth time
vertebrates
Dogs, dolphins, lynx hang out for 9-25 years and party on their birthday three times a year
m
Map
will celebrate their {n} birthday
g
t
When your next jubilee falls in {name} life years
Human
hot Africa south of the desert, many savannas and forests
live ants of all castes and sizes
days
worms
How old you would be if you lived as {name}
Theoretical maximum lifespan estimated from the Dynamic Energy Budget (DEB) mathematical model. This value reflects a biological potential derived from metabolic parameters, not from direct observation — real recorded lifespans are often significantly shorter.
Hindlimbs size
Hindlimbs count
adult
Maturity
invertebrates
About health
When your next birthday would fall if you lived as {name}
Snout color
Repro interval
results
summer warm and almost no rain
Colors
Sex
Upcoming jubilees
Gremllins
mo
Uses an excavated underground tunnel or chamber for refuge or nesting.
rains are very rare, almost a desert
Trophic type
all living animals without backbone
Filters
searching and catching prey in the soil
Mediterranean forest
Upcoming birthdays
Truly long lives: 40-100 years. Bowhead whales, albatrosses, giant tortoises recall their birthday at most once a year
Lifespan
Age (juvenile)
Age (from birth to death)
Age (embryo)
Wanderers
world of Australasia
Jubilee = every 10th birthday
dry, cold winter, lots of grass, few trees
Earliest developmental stage inside an egg or womb.
animals with backbone
Business sausages
Lifespan average
Regeneration
What do they look like?
Maturity
emergence (insects)
end of lifespan
How do they live?
fertilization / egg laying
How do they behave?
birth / hatching
metamorphosis / end of larval stage
end of acceleration
Share
Find a pet...
Mature, fully developed individual capable of reproduction.
invertebrate larvae
Actively hunting and capturing live prey.
Pets
Feeding occurs primarily on land or in vegetation.
{name} jubilee
Eyes size
cm
Old-timers
Find an animal or breed...
turns
Rascals
terrestrial forest
terrestrial grassland and steppe
terrestrial herbaceous
Tail color
Flooded grasslands
hot Africa south of the desert, many savannas and forests
Litter size
ants
Map data sources: Ecosystem classification — IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology (Keith et al., 2022), indicative distribution maps Keith et al. (2020), https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3546513; Large Marine Ecosystems — NOAA LME Program; Bathymetry — GEBCO Bathymetric Compilation Group (2026), GEBCO_2026 Grid, https://doi.org/10.5285/4f68d5c7-45eb-f999-e063-7086abc036fa; Climate data — Generated using Copernicus Climate Change Service information; Species occurrence data — GBIF.org, Derived dataset "all animals", https://zveriki.com/dataset/dataset.tsv; Terrestrial ecoregions — RESOLVE Ecoregions 2017 (Dinerstein et al., 2017), CC BY 4.0
How to care for them?
Living from 25 to 40 years. Orangutans, bald eagles, African elephants celebrate their birthday twice a year
°C
Not specified
Where are they found?
Legendary longevity: over 100 years. Galapagos tortoises, Greenland sharks, ocean quahogs celebrate with family once every 4 years
Offspring
Elders
Bro
Taxons
carnivore
if born as {name}
Forages within or on the surface of soil or substrate.
age
birth date
Close
was
Career from 7 to 15 months. Dwarf hamsters, voles, field crickets celebrate their birthday twice a month
The basics
My weight?
Non-stop carnival: they only live a few days. Mayflies, rotifers, midges celebrate their birthday more than twice a day
primary food sources
burrow
Potential Habitat
lots of grass, few trees, rains are rare
d
In husbandry
On the go from 1.3 to 3.5 years. Forest mice, anoles, rainbow fish party on their birthday once a month
Mass
Mosquitoes, fruit flies, small crustaceans hustle for up to 7 months and throw a birthday party every week
terrestrial
Gestation
Body size
islands and part of Australia, many unusual animals and plants
{name} birthday
live annelid worms
soil
No results found
Eyes color
On the map
all life stages
Female ♀
dry and hot summer, warm and rainy winter
Cold and almost dry
Body color
world of Afrotropics
termites
Map data sources: Ecosystem classification — IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology (Keith et al., 2022), indicative distribution maps Keith et al. (2020), https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3546513; Large Marine Ecosystems — NOAA LME Program; Bathymetry — GEBCO Bathymetric Compilation Group (2026), GEBCO_2026 Grid, https://doi.org/10.5285/4f68d5c7-45eb-f999-e063-7086abc036fa; Climate data — Generated using Copernicus Climate Change Service information; Species occurrence data — GBIF.org, Derived dataset "all animals", https://zveriki.com/dataset/dataset.tsv; Terrestrial ecoregions — RESOLVE Ecoregions 2017 (Dinerstein et al., 2017), CC BY 4.0 Potential habitat modelled from GBIF occurrence data. Map © Zveriki.com, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
birth year
Maturity
terrestrial habitat, land surface outside water
sq mm
yr
Snout size
Body count
How similar?
Male ♂
until the celebration
age as {name}
How do they breed?
On the go from 3.5 to 6 years. Hedgehogs, crows, lizards treat themselves to birthday snacks 6 times a year
Forelimbs count
What if eaten?
Very dry
Neither
What do they eat?
dry and cold almost all year round
Where do they live?
from birth to death
early young
forests on land — tropical, temperate, boreal
water often floods the land, lots of grass
world of Afrotropics
Temperate mixed forest
Duration
This is me
Warm summer with almost no rain
Steppe
Gamers
How are they built?
mm
Theoretical lifespan
ml
Stars
Link copied
My age?
wk
My size?
terrestrial
Asexual
swap
live termites
active predation
Who among us will transform as if by magic and become like {animal}?
Rabbits, falcons, red-eared turtles hang out for 6-9 years and party on their birthday four times a year
Where do they take shelter?
celebrated their {n} birthday
open grassy spaces — steppes, savannas, prairies
When you would have been born if you lived as {name}
Cold steppe
Daddies
Lifespan maximum
Hermaphrodite ⚥
Grape
8 to 11 grams, 1.5 – 8 centimeters
embryo
summer warm, many oaks, birches, maples
Length
kg
Observations
◉{N} more on tap
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