About Chalcides bedriagai (Bosca, 1880)
Bedriaga's skink (Chalcides bedriagai) resembles a smaller version of the ocellated skink (Chalcides ocellatus). It has a small head, an elongated cylindrical body, and short limbs with five digits on each foot. It reaches a total length of up to 17 cm (7 in), and at least half of this total length is made up by its fairly broad tail. Females are typically larger than males. In both sexes, the tail may sometimes be broken off or actively regenerating. There are between 24 and 28 scales around the mid-section of the skink's body. Its base color is pale brown, yellowish-brown, or grey, marked with many small black-edged eyespots, and it usually has a paler lateral line running along each side of its body. Juvenile individuals have a darker overall color. This skink species is native to Spain and Portugal. It is mostly absent from northern Spain, and has a rather patchy distribution across the rest of the Iberian Peninsula. It can also be found on the Mediterranean islands of Islas del Mar Menor and Isla de Nueva Tabarca, as well as the Atlantic islands of Cies Islands, Pessegueiro Island, Ons Island, and Islote de Sancti Petri. Its typical habitat is sandy heathland with scrubby vegetation, or sandy areas that support denser vegetation. It also occurs in open woodland, woodland clearings, scrubland, and rocky hillside slopes, up to an altitude of around 1,750 metres (5,740 ft) above sea level. It is able to adapt to living in moderately degraded habitats.
