Species information
Scientific name: Plestiodon marginatus
Japanese name: オキナワトカゲ
Chinese name: 沖繩石龍子
English name: Okinawa blue-tailed skink
Origin: Yoronjima and Okinoerabujima in the Amami Islands; the Okinawa Islands; Nakanoshima in the Tokara Islands
Ecology and description
The Okinawa blue-tailed skink has a head-body length of about 6-9cm. It is found in the Okinawa Islands, in Yoronjima and Okinoerabujima in the Amami Islands, and in Nakanoshima in the Tokara Islands. It lives in open habitats such as coastal woodland and grassland, while Barbour’s skink (Plestiodon barbouri), which also occurs in the Okinawa Islands, is usually found in forests and mountains. Juveniles have a blue tail, and adults are brown. It is alert and moves very fast, so it is hard to observe.
Field photographs taken during our tours, with observation dates
The Okinawa blue-tailed skink lives in environments close to coastal forest, but we currently have no tours that target coastal forest, so it is hard to see on our current tours.
