What breed is he?

[ScooterBTS]

I was told he was an irian jaya, but he looks like a Merauke, but he has black outlining the scales on his head and his tongue is half blue half pink

[Dakota]

Yeah, he is a Merauke. Meraukes have black lines, but not as much as Indonesians, but more than the typical Irian Jaya.

[xxmonitorlizardxx]

Merauke

Yeah, he is a Merauke. Meraukes have black lines, but not as much as Indonesians, but more than the typical Irian Jaya.

Which black lines?

[ScooterBTS]

Yeah, he is a Merauke. Meraukes have black lines, but not as much as Indonesians, but more than the typical Irian Jaya.

Yah that's what I thought thanks

[Dakota]

On the head.

[Katrina]

On the head.

Ummm... no, black outlining on the head is typically associated with Indos. Maybe be carefully with giving advice / IDing if you're unsure. In this case, you're correct - but the black outlining of scales on the head is 100% an Indonesian trait.

[ScooterBTS]

On the head.

Ummm... no, black outlining on the head is typically associated with Indos. Maybe be carefully with giving advice / IDing if you're unsure. In this case, you're correct - but the black outlining of scales on the head is 100% an Indonesian trait.

so are you saying he is an indonesian??

[Katrina]

No, he looks more Merauke. I'm just saying that the black outlining on the head is generally an Indo trait. But it doesn't mean it is an Indo 100% of the time - generally Indos have thicker, more prominent outlining.

[Dakota]

It is not uncommon for Meraukes to have a trace of black lines in-between the scales.
As you can see, ScooterBTS's skink has some lines, my skinks have some trace of lines
You said yourself, they do have some lines, in which I said, but not as much as Indonesians.
And rarely on the IJ, which I have seen before.

So, my IDing was fine.

I'm not trying to argue, I have been studying BTS for 5-6 years, has been owning them for about 4-5 years, I'm not completely stupid about them.

[Jeff]

It is not uncommon for Meraukes to have a trace of black lines in-between the scales.
As you can see, ScooterBTS's skink has some lines, my skinks have some trace of lines
You said yourself, they do have some lines, in which I said, but not as much as Indonesians.
And rarely on the IJ, which I have seen before. So, my IDing was fine.

I'm not trying to argue, I have been studying BTS for 5-6 years, has been owning them for about 4-5 years, I'm not completely stupid about them.

dakotanivens, this response is completely inappropriate and unacceptable. It is not ok to argue as an authority on something when you are not. Exactly how many BTS have you kept, and for how long? You are in no position to be rude to someone who has been keeping and studying them for much longer than yourself.

Not only is your post rude, but what you are saying about the skink incorrect - scale outlining on the head is NOT a merauke trait. Some meraukes have some minimal outlining, but that definitely does not make them a merauke. A skink can be a meerauke in SPITE of minimal outling, not BECAUSE of it.

Please word your posts more respectfully in the future.

[Jeff]

In case you are wondering, this is where you were incorrect:

Yeah, he is a Merauke. Meraukes have black lines, but not as much as Indonesians, but more than the typical Irian Jaya.

[Dakota]

I'm not saying it was a Merauke trait. ScooterBTS stated above that he had black out-lining on his head, which made him doubt it was a Merauke.

I said Meraukes do have black-out-lining, but nothing like Indonesians- never did I say it was a Merauke trait.

[Dakota]

Never did I say the black outlining made him Merauke, either. I guess you guys miscomprehended me. Again, ScooterBTS stated that the BTS has black lining, and I said that they can have lines, but not as much as Indonesian. Not Black lining made him Meruake.

[Spindown]

dakotanivens, this response is completely inappropriate and unacceptable. It is not ok to argue as an authority on something when you are not. Exactly how many BTS have you kept, and for how long? You are in no position to be rude to someone who has been keeping and studying them for much longer than yourself.

Not only is your post rude, but what you are saying about the skink incorrect - scale outlining on the head is NOT a merauke trait. Some meraukes have some minimal outlining, but that definitely does not make them a merauke. A skink can be a meerauke in SPITE of minimal outling, not BECAUSE of it. T

Please word your posts more respectfully in the future.

Agreed. However, dakotanivens, I think you may be getting confused by the wording. You need to be more clear and precise in how you word things. Example: Sometimes, meraukes CAN have thin black lines on their head scales. However, lines on the head scales, especially thicker black lines, is normally indicative of being an Indonesian locale. This skink has a very curiously Indo head but a merauke like clean pattern and spotted forelegs. I would be very interested to see the tail on this animal.

Anyhow, the way you have it worded

As you can see, ScooterBTS's skink has some lines, my skinks have some trace of lines
You said yourself, they do have some lines, in which I said, but not as much as Indonesians.
And rarely on the IJ, which I have seen before.

Is confusing, and doesnt clearly specify what area of the body you are even referring to having black lines. Many locales of bluey have black lines in some form all over their bodies!

Also, there are several traits that differ between Indonesian and Merauke locales visually, and it would help to perhaps explain/ID them as well, instead of only repeatedly mentioning the black lines.

For example, Indonesians tend to have black forelegs. Meraukes tend to have white spots on their mostly black forelegs. Meraukes tend to have a much cleaner pattern, and perhaps linking to some of the caresheet examples would be helpful as well to help the OP confirm the ID for themselves.

In addition, Meraukes and Irian Jayas, which you are getting wrapped up in, havent been entirely isolated as being unique sub-species yet, and are considered by some to be the same subspecies. So focusing on the line markings on being different from Irian Jaya's may not be correct. The thread about Indonesian skinks is fantastic if you would like more information about this.

There is no reason to get snippy because you have been unclear and have been corrected. There are always more things to learn for each of us, but spreading around unclear or incorrect information is preventable, and people who do this shouldnt get many warnings...

[Jeff]

I will post your quote one more time since you are obviously not aware of what you said:

...Meraukes have black lines...

Black outlining on head scales IS a reason to question whether or not a particular skink is a merauke. It does not automatically disqualify a skink from being a merauke, but it IS one strike against a merauke ID. The fact that you don't know this is evidence that you may not know quite as much as you think you do. If you insist on boasting about your knowledge, I will continue to point out when you make erroneous comments.

If you make polite posts, even when they are wrong, they will be met with much more tolerance.