Stump-tailed skink (Japanese name)

Japanese: マツカサトカゲ(松毬蜥蜴) - マツカサトカゲ（英語表記）stump‐tailed skink

A skink lizard with a short, truncated tail (illustration). Its entire body is covered with large, extremely hard scales that overlap like a pine cone, hence the name. It is found in south and eastern Australia, and is 25-30 cm long, with a tail that is about one-fifth of that. Its head is almost triangular with a thick body, and its tail is flat and short, resembling a head. Its limbs are short, with each finger short and of roughly the same size. Its body color varies from grey-brown to black-brown. It lives in wastelands and semi-deserts, and feeds on snails, earthworms, insects, and plant matter such as fruit and flowers.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

スキンク科のトカゲで，切断したような短い尾をもつ（イラスト）。全身がきわめて堅い大きなうろこで覆われ，あたかも“松かさ”のように重なっているのでこの名がある。オーストラリア南･東部に分布し，全長25～30cm，尾はその1/5ほど。頭部はほぼ三角形で胴が太く，尾は扁平で短く頭のように見える。四肢は短く各指も短くてほぼ同大。体色には灰褐色から黒褐色まで変異がある。荒れ地や半砂漠にすみ，餌はカタツムリ，ミミズ，昆虫のほか果実や花などの植物質。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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