Tiny two-fingered skink swims through sand, but now turns up under 'old clothes, cardboard, and plastic'

Reddit users are marveling at a small lizard that swims through dune sand and has exceptionally tiny forelimbs.

What happened?

A post on r/NatureIsF******Lit spotlighted the two-fingered skink, a North African reptile with only two digits on each tiny front limb. According to the original poster, the species is a "sand-swimmer" that spends much of its life beneath dune sand, where it waits to ambush insects.

The post also highlighted the skink's escape tactic of shedding its tail when threatened. Citing one study, the original poster noted that more than 85% of adults had regenerated tails, and that juveniles can have bright red tails that may function as decoys.

Why does it matter?

The most alarming part of the post may be where the animals are now being found. As the original poster wrote, researchers are increasingly locating the species by "turning over rubbish like old clothes, cardboard, plastic etc." along the Moroccan coast.

That is especially concerning because the two-fingered skink depends on a narrow band of coastal dune habitat, which is shrinking under pressure from coastal development and rising sea levels. The IUCN listed the species as Vulnerable in May 2024, a sign of mounting concern about its future.

Beach litter does more than spoil the scenery. It can alter the dune systems that specialized animals depend on, including creatures that spend so much time under the sand that most people never notice them. Those dunes also help protect coastlines from erosion and storm damage.

For animals like the skink, their already shrinking habitat being further threatened by litter and waste creates extra struggles as they fight to survive. 

What are people saying?

The post's comment section was filled with admiration for the reptile's odd looks. 

"Look at those teeny front legs," said one user.

"Looks like it's part way to being a European slow worm," another said.

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