On the dentition of the Cape Verdean endemic lizard genus Chioninia Gray, 1845, with a discussion of ecological implications in the giant species C. coctei (Duméril & Bibron, 1839) (Squamata, Scincidae)

Some small scincid lizard jaw fragments with multicuspid teeth recovered from a heap of subrecent to subfossil owl pellets on the island of Razo, Cape Verde archipelago, are described and documented by macro photography and µ-CTimaging. They are compared with the dentition of extant members of the endemic Cape Verdean skink genus Chioninia Gray, 1845. Most likely, these jaws belonged to juvenile specimens of the extinct endemic Cape Verdean Giant Skink C. coctei (Duméril & Bibron, 1839). We take this opportunity to discuss the specialised dentition in respect to food specialisation and other features of this remarkable but obviously extinct lizard in a functional and ecological context, dealing with body size, nutrition, locomotion (tail prehensibility), activity patterns, longevity, reproduction, commensalism with seabirds, and insular gigantism.