Prehistoric Period

The European copper skink, or Ablepharus kitaibelii, is a member of the skink family of lizards that has evolved continuously since ancient times.

Although the fossil record for many extant lizard species is poor, making it difficult to determine if Ablepharus kitaibelii existed during the prehistoric era, it is known that the skink family has ancient roots.

The varied lizard family known as skinks has been around for millions of years. During the Cretaceous era, which began about 145 million years ago and ended around 66 million years ago, skinks and other closely related lizard lineages were likely present in terrestrial habitats. Several lizard species and other reptiles were changing and adapting to new environments at this period.

A key component of skinks' evolutionary success has been their remarkable adaptability to a broad variety of environments and ecological functions. Prehistoric environments probably had skinks with comparable traits and ecological functions, even if fossil evidence does not reveal the exact antecedents of Ablepharus kitaibelii.

Species have evolved and spread around the planet in response to environmental changes such as continental drift and climatic change.

All skink species, including Ablepharus kitaibelii and those that came after them, probably went through these modifications and diversified as a result.

While skink evolution is not unique to Ablepharus kitaibelii, it does provide light on the larger picture of lizard evolution and the way reptiles have shaped terrestrial habitats over millions of years.

The existence of skink species in ancient times and their evolutionary chronology may be better understood with the help of new fossils and advances in paleontological study.