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5/07/2011

Chinese skink mating (中国スキンクの交配)


Chinese Skinks Mating
中国スキンクの交配
It was May 7, 2011 (29~13oC).
I was awoken from a nap by the tumult in the skink terrarium, and found that the male skink chasing the female violently. Within a few minutes, the male skink drove the female to the corner and snapped its scaly skin.

They rolled and struggled and the male managed to pressed its cloaca onto the female’s.
It can be seen that the male biting the female tightly.
Although full of force and violence, the mating lasted not more than 20s before these two separated. I wonder whether the female was fertilized.


The female began to free itself.
The indentation can be clearly seen. It must be very hurt, I guess.
I was glad that the wild-caught skinks have fully adapted to the circumstance I prepared for them. Hoping these couple can breeding their young successfully.


I found the following photos from the internet. It seemed that this type of mating can be observed in many skink species.

4/13/2011

Keeled Box Turtle Eating Centipede

I found this 14cm-long centipede just out of my bedroom. Althouth ugly and disgusting, it could be a palatable and nutritious feed for my keeled box turtle.
Before feeding it to the turtle, some preparatory work must be done.
I carefully caught this dangerous creature and cut its fangs off, or it may diliver nasty bites and cause serious damage to the turtle, or me, of course. 
Now it is harmless and ready to be eaten.
So the greedy sponge wasted no time to have its meal.
It is totally crazy.







 Taking a bath after the feeding frenzy.
Keeled box turtle, a middle-sized forest turtle living in tropical jungle of South-East Asia. Soil invertebrate such as centipedes, insects, spiders, snails and earthworms are their natural prey.