# Multiscaled skink (*Chalcides polylepis*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/multiscaled-skink  
Data as of: 2026-11-14

The multiscaled skink (Chalcides polylepis) is a species in the family Scincidae, order Squamata. Recorded adults weigh 39.1 g to 53.2 g, reach 11.2 cm in length and live up to 11.5 years.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 39.1 g – 53.2 g |
| Length | 11.2 cm |
| Lifespan | 11.5 years |
| Diet | Carnivore |
| Longest recorded lifespan | 14 years |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | shrubland, woodland |
| Young per litter or clutch | 4 – 7 |
| Litters or clutches a year | 1 – 1.4 |
| Reproduction | Live birth |
| Active | Day and night (cathemeral) |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Brain mass | 37 mg |
| Conservation status | Not recorded |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Reptilia
- order: Squamata
- family: Scincidae
- genus: Chalcides
- species: *Chalcides polylepis* Boulenger, 1890

Synonyms: *Chalcides ocellatus polylepis*, *Chalcides ocellatus var. polylepis*

## Common questions

### How big is the multiscaled skink?

An adult multiscaled skink weighs 39.1 g – 53.2 g and measures 11.2 cm long, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

### How long does the multiscaled skink live?

The multiscaled skink has a recorded lifespan of 11.5 years.

### What kind of animal is the multiscaled skink?

The multiscaled skink (Chalcides polylepis) belongs to the family Scincidae in the order Squamata.

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [AnimalTraits: a curated animal trait database for body mass, metabolic rate and brain size](https://animaltraits.org/), CC0 1.0, 1.0.7. Herberstein, M.E., McLean, D.J., Lowe, E. et al. (2022) AnimalTraits: a curated animal trait database for body mass, metabolic rate and brain size. Scientific Data 9: 265. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-022-01364-9. Data: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6468938
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [ReptTraits: a comprehensive dataset of ecological traits in reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.24572683.v4), CC BY 4.0, v1-2. Oskyrko, O., Mi, C., Meiri, S. et al. (2024) ReptTraits: a comprehensive dataset of ecological traits in reptiles. Scientific Data 11: 243. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-024-03079-5. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.24572683.v4
- [SquamBase 1.0 - a dataset of squamate species traits](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.76hdr7t3b), CC0 1.0, 1.0-dryad-v5. Meiri, S. (2024) SquamBase - a database of squamate (Reptilia: Squamata) traits. Global Ecology and Biogeography 33(4): e13812. https://doi.org/10.1111/geb.13812. Data: https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.76hdr7t3b

Cite as: Multiscaled skink (Chalcides polylepis). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/multiscaled-skink