| Ablepharus | |
|---|---|
| |
| European snake-eyed skink, Ablepharus kitaibelii | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Family: | Scincidae |
| Subfamily: | Eugongylinae |
| Genus: | Ablepharus Lichtenstein, 1823 |
| Species | |
|
Ablepharus alaicus | |
Ablepharus is a genus of skinks that contains the common snake-eyed skinks.[1] Both their scientific and common names refer to the fact that their eyelids have fused to a translucent capsule; as in snakes, they thus are physically incapable of blinking.[2] They are small lizards and prefer to live in the leaf litter of dry fields and hills.[3] Their scales give them a very shiny, bronze appearance with a characteristically dark stripe down the sides of their bodies. They prey on small insects and other small mollusks.[4]
- ^ Ablepharus at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 23 December 2013.
- ^ Orbital Lubrication Hypothesis at the Canadian Journal of Zoology
- ^ Ablepharus kitaibelii at the IUCN Red List
- ^ Snake-eyed Skink Archived 2014-12-14 at the Wayback Machine at the Wildlife Archipelago Archived 2014-12-14 at the Wayback Machine