Notes on the Stomach Contents of a Juvenile Sleepy Lizard, Tiliqua rugosa (Gray 1825),Killed by an Eastern Brown Snake, Pseudonaja textilis (Duméril, Bibron, and Duméril 1854) in South Australia

Lizards are a very diverse group of vertebrates that inhabit and utilize a variety of habitats and niches; that their diets vary dramatically is not surprising. Only a few species have adaptations, such as colic valves and elongated intestines, that enable them to be mainly herbivorous (i.e., >90% of the diet consists of plant material; Cooper and Vitt 2002). Most lizards are carnivorous, but many are facultative omnivores that will consume some plant material (e.g., Pianka and Vitt 2003). The Sleepy Lizard, Tiliqua rugosa (Gray 1825), which is endemic to the southern parts of Australia (Cogger 2014), is an example of such an omnivorous species. These relatively large skinks (Scincidae) opportunistically feed on invertebrates and even carrion (Fig. 1), but feed primarily on flowers (Fig. 2), fruit (Fig. 3), and leaves of a variety of native and introduced plant species (Yeatman 1988; Henle 1990; Dubas and Bull 1991). Our understanding of the diet of T. rugosa stems largely from observations of adult lizards or individuals whose age class was not specified, so the diet of juveniles is relatively poorly understood. Herein we describe the stomach contents of a juvenile T. rugosa, with notes on dietary items of adult lizards from the same locality.