I acquired this freshly imported unique Irian Jaya skink from a reputable dealer in 2005. It wasn't full grown (approximately a third away) so it might be a year or two old at the most. This skink is truly atypical as seen from its pattern and lack of red, brown or orange coloration. 

Some speculated that this unusual skink was in shed and its normal coloration would appear after the molting process. I, too, anticipated this possibility and waited anxiously for it to shed. During one of my vigils I was fortunate to observe the "anerythristic" skink evert two long hemipenes during defecation. A few long weeks later the "anery" skink began to shed. To my elation and relief the "anerythristic" appearance of the skink remained! You can see how white and black the skink is now in the second picture. A remainder of shed on its head is quite ostensible.

I thought again, is this an extreme color phase or a true anerythristic trait that is being demonstrated by this anomalous animal? From my years of breeding different colored blue tongues together, the offspring express a mixture of physical characteristics from both parents. Will this special skink's offspring show this "mixture" if mated with another normal Irian Jaya skink? 

I was afraid to entertain the other idea. What if this skink was true anery and had the recessive trait which would produce true heterozygous offspring that appear normal but carried the recessive trait. It would be a miracle in the making!

A month or so after I acquired the "possible" anerythristic skink I was surprised to find another one just like it but normal in coloration. The pattern was practically identical. The other skink was also an import that must have been taken from the same locale as the anery skink. At this time, I am unsure of the sex of the other animal but my instincts say, "Female." I have my fingers crossed. I am still on the look for more imports that have this pattern.  I have no idea if this project will come to fruition but I will keep you all updated if anything new arises.

Wish me luck.

Anery Irian Jaya (male P1)

Anery Irian Jaya (male P1)

This picture is not to scale. The normal Irian Jaya skink on the left is actually a third larger than the male on the right. I placed two pictures side by side so you can see how similar these two skinks are in pattern.