Description: As an adult, it generally reaches about 6 to 12 inches of length with a 22 to 39 g weight and has a small head, cylindrical body, and five toes on each foot. They are very agile and are often found in arid areas. It is strongly related to |Chalcides colosii, and C. colosii was formerly considered a subspecies of C. ocellatus. C. ocellatus is notable for the presence of ocelli and for its wide variety of coloration patterns.
Habitat: In Arizona this species has been found in and around potted plants, block walls, planters, and shrubbery, as well as the interiors of garages and storerooms. Chalcides ocellatus is considered to be a generalist species and can be found in a wide variety of environments, such as farmland and gravel deserts around the Mediterranean coast. Its main escape tactic from predators is to run behind vegetation, most likely because it is not suited to run very fast. Although this species has very smooth scales and is capable of "sand-swimming" behavior in loose sand or soil, its limbs are not specifically adapted for fossorial movement.
Range: Introduced into the United States in Arizona and Florida. Found in Greece, southern Italy, Malta, Lebanon, and parts of northern Africa, UAE, and Israel.It is also found in Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka.
Diet: Ocellated skinks are primarily insectivorous. In the wild they have been recorded to eat a wide variety of insects, including locusts, crickets, ants, beetles, isopods, spiders, centipedes, and insect larvae. However, they are also known to occasionally eat small lizards, including their own young, and the tails of young lizards are a regular finding in the stomach contents of Chalcides ocellatus.
Reproduction: Females of the species give birth to 2 to 6 live young through viviparity.
Status: This species is assessed as Least Concern in view of its wide distribution, tolerance of a broad range of habitats, presumed large population, and the absence of major threats.
Subspecies: Six:
No Common Name - (Chalcides ocellatus linosae)
No Common Name - (Chalcides ocellatus ocellatus)
No Common Name - (Chalcides ocellatus sacchii)
No Common Name - (Chalcides ocellatus subtypicus)
No Common Name - (Chalcides ocellatus tiligugu)
No Common Name - (Chalcides ocellatus zavattarii)
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Disclaimer: ITIS taxonomy is based on the latest scientific consensus available, and is provided as a general reference source for interested parties. However, it is not a legal authority for statutory or regulatory purposes. While every effort has been made to provide the most reliable and up-to-date information available, ultimate legal requirements with respect to species are contained in provisions of treaties to which the United States is a party, wildlife statutes, regulations, and any applicable notices that have been published in the Federal Register. For further information on U.S. legal requirements with respect to protected taxa, please contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
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