X-ray of gravid skink

[Susann]

It has been 7 months now since Xyla mated... She's very large! And her breathing seems to be getting more labored every day. I've been getting increasingly worried that something may be wrong, so after talking to the vet about the risks in stressing her out by taking her in for an exam, I decided to go ahead and take her to get an X-ray.

Here's a regular picture of her:

IMG_2519.JPG

Couple videos of her breathing:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vb0P_FwKx4E
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8MtVT9lFA8

And here's the X-ray:

image1 (14) (1) - Copy.jpg

If anyone has an eye for reading these kinds of images I'd love to hear your guess on how many you see.

[Dood]

I think I see 4 possibly 5 skulls

[Ray Gurgui]

I think I see 9 heads , but her whole body seems loaded with them.
Cant tell what's underneath yet if they are upside down, the rest of the bodies bone isn't fully formed yet, that will happen after they are born.
For now it will stay like cartilage and harden after birth.

Should change her name to Cow.

[Susann]

Haha! I was thinking Miss Piggy. She's just short and round.

[Seadation]

That's really cool! Thanks for sharing.

[Scotts1au]

I think that I can make out 7 heads. Sounds like she brumated after mating? It will be very interesting to see how they turn out. I've heard about temperate species brumating gravid before but the results haven't always worked out so well - probably from extended periods of cold. Fingers crossed, she needs a curry and long walk.

[Susann]

No brumation, before or after mating, she's been up and eating all winter. Out of my gravid females she basks the least, so tends to be gravid the longest, but this is getting ridiculous!
This was a new, young vet (my regular wasn't in today) and he thought the bones should be more calcified and we should've seen more spines if the babies were close to full term. But he did also admit to not seeing many non-mammal patients...

[mark_w]

Susann, after seeing Ray's picture in Advanced and looking at the where the first skull is (nearer the head end of the mother) and the last (nearer her vent), I'd say she probably carrying 12 or 14. Very cool picture by the way.

Mark.

[NickBrahz]

Thanks for sharing Susann, always fascinating to see a X-ray of a skink, especially a pregnant one

[Susann]

Thanks guys.
Merauke babies are generally quite a bit bigger than Northern babies, so I'm really hoping she's not packing 12-14 in her 23 inch frame... We shall see. I'm really nervous though, after Ray's experience....

[Susann]

Sheesh, I have to edit my previous comment by saying: because the babies in Ray's tread seemed small to me I keep thinking they were Northerns; I've also since realized that they seem smaller than my Meraukes in relation to the mother (looking at the one he pulled out in the one pictre) because they're still curled up in their birth sacks...
I wonder if all Indonesian (and PNG) species tend to be bigger and fewer in number ...hopefully now that more people are having success with breeding them we'll soon know the tendencies.
My Meraukes tend to be right around 30 grams (most fall between 25-35 g.). (4 litters of 6-8, one litter of 10, and one litter of 13)

[tcopitho]

Have you considered having an ultrasound done on her. I'm wondering if that wouldn't show the vet more.

[Susann]

I was planning on having both done, but learned when I was there that my vet doesn't own one... they just call a tech with a portable in emergencies... I was very disappointed.