Imagine diving into a dune and swimming off like a fish. Well here\u2019s the sandfish that does just that. <\/p>
Also known as the common sandfish\u00a0or\u00a0common skink, the Scincus scincus is a species of skink that lives in the Sahara<\/p>\n
To avoid predators and the relentless sun, the sandfish opts for subterranean travel, plunging head-first into the ground and navigating the safer and cooler subsurface. But, unlike a mole or prairie dog, it does not rely on a network of tunnels \u2013 it swims through the sand.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The initial dive is a lot like a swimmer\u2019s front crawl. The lizard alternately extends and pushes back with its left and right limbs, penetrating deeper with each stroke. Once submerged, it pins its legs to its sides and zigzags like a snake, using its whole body to generate enough power. With this method, the sandfish moves itself through a sea of solid particles at about one body length per second \u2013 that\u2019s better than an Olympic swimmer can do in the water.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p><\/div> <\/section> The reptile\u2019s wedge-shaped snout makes a convenient cutting edge and its clear eyelids act as protective windows while the animal moves, but its unique scales are what make its underground journeys possible. <\/span><\/p>\n Each is covered with countless microscopic, tooth-like protrusions. Believe it or not, this rough surface actually reduces friction to almost nothing, as the weight of each grain of sand is distributed over some 20,000 contact points \u2013 the sandfish is more slippery than Teflon. This surface structure is also hardier than steel, ensuring the lizard a lifetime of relatively easy travel in its hostile habitat.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Sandfish eat insects. While avoiding the heat of the day, under the surface they listen for the vibrations insects make as they move around, then grab their victims<\/span><\/p>\n Scincus scincus <\/em>can grow up to 20 cm (8 inches) long, including the tail<\/p>\n Main image: Desert sandfish \u00a9 Getty Images<\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n Imagine diving into a dune and swimming off like a fish. Well here\u2019s the sandfish that does just that. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":24920,"template":"","categories":[1],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"2"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2023\/02\/common-sandfish-what-is-the-scincus-scincus-and-how-does-it-swim-through-sand.jpg",2121,1414,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2023\/02\/common-sandfish-what-is-the-scincus-scincus-and-how-does-it-swim-through-sand-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2023\/02\/common-sandfish-what-is-the-scincus-scincus-and-how-does-it-swim-through-sand-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2023\/02\/common-sandfish-what-is-the-scincus-scincus-and-how-does-it-swim-through-sand-768x512.jpg",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2023\/02\/common-sandfish-what-is-the-scincus-scincus-and-how-does-it-swim-through-sand-1024x683.jpg",800,534,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2023\/02\/common-sandfish-what-is-the-scincus-scincus-and-how-does-it-swim-through-sand-1536x1024.jpg",1536,1024,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2023\/02\/common-sandfish-what-is-the-scincus-scincus-and-how-does-it-swim-through-sand-2048x1365.jpg",2048,1365,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Imagine diving into a dune and swimming off like a fish. Well here\u2019s the sandfish that does just that.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/24919"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24920"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24919"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24919"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
What do sandfish eat?<\/h2>\n
How big are the sandfish?<\/h2>\n
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