Five-lined Skink
Encyclopedia
The Five-lined Skink (Plestiodon fasciatus) is one of the most common lizard
s in the eastern U.S.
and one of the five species of lizards in Canada
. Other common names include Blue-tailed Skink (for juveniles) and Red-headed Skink (for adults).
None of these vernacular names is unique to this species, however, and it is technically more appropriate to call it the "American Five-lined Skink" to distinguish it from the Africa
n skink Trachylepis quinquetaeniata
(otherwise known as Five-lined Mabuya), or "Eastern Red-headed Skink" to distinguish it from its western relative Plestiodon skiltonianus (otherwise known as Western Skink). The Blue-tailed Skink
proper is Cryptoblepharus egeriae from Christmas Island
, but in North America
the juveniles of any Eumeces
or Plestiodon
species may be called this.
growing to about 12.5 centimetres (4.9 in) to 21.5 centimetres (8.5 in) total length. Young Five-lined Skinks are dark brown to black with five distinctive white to yellowish stripes running along the body and a bright blue tail. The blue color fades to light blue with age, and the stripes also may slowly disappear. The dark brown color fades, too, and older individuals are often uniformly brownish. The Southeastern Five-lined Skink
, E. inexpectatus, of the Southeastern United States
is very similar to this species and there is some overlap in range. The two species can be told apart based on characters of scales. The Broad-headed Skink
, E. laticeps, is similar, and may be difficult to distinguish from E. fasciatus. The former species usually lacks the two enlarged postlabial scales characteristic of E. fasciatus (Palmer et al., 1995). Adult male Broad-headed skinks, with their large size and swollen red head, are readily distinguished from E. fasciatus (Beane, 2005).
, the lower peninsula of Michigan
(making it one of only two lizards to inhabit MI
) and eastern New York
. The western border is in Minnesota
, Missouri
and eastern Kansas
, Nebraska
, Oklahoma
, Florida
, and Texas
. These skinks tend to be most abundant on the coastal plain in the southeastern United States and along the Gulf Coast. These Skinks have now been seen in increasing numbers in the northern Chesapeake Bay Region of Maryland particularly along the shores of the Elk River.
They are listed as "special concern" in Ontario by COSEWIC, and it is illegal to remove skinks from their habitats in Canada. Skinks are at the extreme edge of their habitat range in Canada, which makes it an area of special interest to ecologists, as extreme conditions place unique evolutionary pressures upon species. Five-lined Skinks have split into two phylogenetically-distinct populations in this edge habitat: the Carolinian population, also present in the United States, ends around Point Pelee National Park in southern Ontario. The St. Lawrence / Great Lakes population resides in the Ottawa Valley in eastern Ontario and tends to be more tolerant to sparse or rocky conditions than its sister subspecies.
Five-lined Skinks are ground-dwelling animals. They prefer moist, partially wooded habitat that provides ample cover or inside walls of buildings as well as sites to bask in the sun. They can also be found in broken, rocky areas at the northern edge of their habitat.
Females lay fifteen to eighteen eggs in a small cavity cleared beneath a rotting log, stump, board, loose bark, a rock, or an abandoned rodent burrow (Harding 1997). Females prefer secluded nest sites in large, moderately decayed logs. Soil moisture is also an important factor in nest selection. Females often place nests in regions where soil moisture is higher than in adjacent areas. Vertical position of the nest also varies with moisture, with nests located deeper in a soil cavity at dry sites. Even when nesting sites are not limited, a significant amount of aggregation occurs.
The parchment like eggs of five-lined skinks, similar to many other reptiles, are thin and easily punctured. Freshly laid eggs range from spherical to oval in shape averaging 1.3 cm in length. Absorption of water from the soil leads to increased egg size. Egg coloration also changes over time, from white to mottled tan, after contact with the nest burrow. The incubation period ranges from 24 to 55 days, and varies due to fluctuations in temperature. Females typically brood their eggs during this time, exhibiting defensive behavior against smaller predators. Parental care ends a day or two after hatching when hatchlings leave the nest. Young five-lined skinks, with a potential life span of up to six years, attain sexual maturity and begin reproducing within two to three years of hatching.
Female five-lined skinks demonstrate high levels of parental care which reduces of egg mortality. Females exhibit several brooding positions of variant contact levels with the body placed beside, over, through, or in a coil around the eggs. Brooding position varies according to soil moisture. Maternal body contact increases at lower moisture levels potentially reducing transpirational loss of the eggs. In communal nests, females may alternate foraging and guarding of the nests, leaving eggs protected at all times. Females may also urinate in the nests and turn eggs to maintain humidity. In addition, females transfer heat from basking through body contact. Any eggs displaced from the nest are retrieved by head or snout rolling, and rotten eggs are eaten.
Five-lined skinks also exhibit antipredation behavior. In evasion of various predators including snakes, crows, hawks, shrews, moles, opossums, skunks, raccoons, and domestic cats, skinks may disconnect their entire tail or a small segment. Skinks run to shelter to escape their distracted predators as the disconnected tail continues to twitch. Skinks may also utilize biting as a defensive strategy.
, flat stone or sections of bark. If collecting bark, avoid gathering it from areas where pesticides are used. Place an incandescent light over one end of the enclosure to create a temperature gradient for the skinks. Five-lined Skinks like a temperature gradient of 75 to 80 °F (23.9 to 26.7 C) on the cool end of their enclosure, 90 °F (32.2 °C) on the warm end. Leave the light on for 12–14 hours per day. The light should be operated using a timer to mimic the natural rising and setting of the sun. Humidity
in the skink enclosure should be between 55% and 75%. Mist the enclosure lightly once a day and make sure that the substrate under the shelters remains moist. The rest of the substrate should be allowed to dry out.
before being offered to the skinks: chicken mash is good for this purpose. If chicken mash cannot be obtained, rodent pellets and tropical fish flakes can be offered instead. Dust crickets and other insects with a calcium/D3 supplement to make sure the skinks get enough calcium
. This is especially important for juveniles. Offer adult skinks 2–5 insects every other day, while juveniles should be fed daily. Each insect offered to a particular skink should be no more than half the size of the animal's head. Skinks can also be fed canned cat food and chopped fruit as part of a varied diet. Water should be offered in shallow non-metal bowl.
Lizard
Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with nearly 3800 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica as well as most oceanic island chains...
s in the eastern U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and one of the five species of lizards in Canada
Lizards in Canada
This is a list of the reptiles species recorded in Canada. There are relatively few reptiles in Canada, as only a limited number of species have been able to adapt to the diverse, generally colder Canadian climate. Most species are confined to the southernmost parts of the country...
. Other common names include Blue-tailed Skink (for juveniles) and Red-headed Skink (for adults).
None of these vernacular names is unique to this species, however, and it is technically more appropriate to call it the "American Five-lined Skink" to distinguish it from the Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
n skink Trachylepis quinquetaeniata
Trachylepis quinquetaeniata
The Five-lined Mabuya , sometimes called Rainbow Mabuya or Rainbow Skink is a species of African skink in the subfamily Lygosominae. Trachylepis margaritifera is also known as the Rainbow Skink.The species has three subspecies:-References:* , Reptiles Database...
(otherwise known as Five-lined Mabuya), or "Eastern Red-headed Skink" to distinguish it from its western relative Plestiodon skiltonianus (otherwise known as Western Skink). The Blue-tailed Skink
Blue-tailed Skink
The Blue-tailed Skink is a skink native to Australia's Christmas Island and is not closely related to the Plestiodon skinks of North America, whose juveniles are known for their blue tails...
proper is Cryptoblepharus egeriae from Christmas Island
Christmas Island
The Territory of Christmas Island is a territory of Australia in the Indian Ocean. It is located northwest of the Western Australian city of Perth, south of the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, and ENE of the Cocos Islands....
, but in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
the juveniles of any Eumeces
Eumeces
The genus Eumeces skinks comprises four African to Middle-Eastern species.-Systematics:Two taxonomic revisions have been made in the 19th century regarding genus Eumeces. They both resulted in similar results; the genus is paraphyletic and must be sliced up into several different genera...
or Plestiodon
Plestiodon
Plestiodon is the name for a genus of lizards formerly referred to as Eumeces, except those now placed in Mesoscincus.The genus Plestiodon are skinks...
species may be called this.
Description
It is a small to medium sized skinkSkink
Skinks are lizards belonging to the family Scincidae. Together with several other lizard families, including Lacertidae , they comprise the superfamily or infraorder Scincomorpha...
growing to about 12.5 centimetres (4.9 in) to 21.5 centimetres (8.5 in) total length. Young Five-lined Skinks are dark brown to black with five distinctive white to yellowish stripes running along the body and a bright blue tail. The blue color fades to light blue with age, and the stripes also may slowly disappear. The dark brown color fades, too, and older individuals are often uniformly brownish. The Southeastern Five-lined Skink
Southeastern five-lined Skink
The Southeastern five-lined skink is a common skink in the southeastern United States. Its scientific name E...
, E. inexpectatus, of the Southeastern United States
Southeastern United States
The Southeastern United States, colloquially referred to as the Southeast, is the eastern portion of the Southern United States. It is one of the most populous regions in the United States of America....
is very similar to this species and there is some overlap in range. The two species can be told apart based on characters of scales. The Broad-headed Skink
Broad-headed Skink
The Broad-headed Skink is — together with the Great Plains Skink — the largest of the Eumeces-skinks, growing to a total length of to nearly .-Description:...
, E. laticeps, is similar, and may be difficult to distinguish from E. fasciatus. The former species usually lacks the two enlarged postlabial scales characteristic of E. fasciatus (Palmer et al., 1995). Adult male Broad-headed skinks, with their large size and swollen red head, are readily distinguished from E. fasciatus (Beane, 2005).
Range and habitat
The range of the Five-lined Skink extends in the north to southern OntarioOntario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, the lower peninsula of Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
(making it one of only two lizards to inhabit MI
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
) and eastern New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. The western border is in Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
and eastern Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
, Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, and Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. These skinks tend to be most abundant on the coastal plain in the southeastern United States and along the Gulf Coast. These Skinks have now been seen in increasing numbers in the northern Chesapeake Bay Region of Maryland particularly along the shores of the Elk River.
They are listed as "special concern" in Ontario by COSEWIC, and it is illegal to remove skinks from their habitats in Canada. Skinks are at the extreme edge of their habitat range in Canada, which makes it an area of special interest to ecologists, as extreme conditions place unique evolutionary pressures upon species. Five-lined Skinks have split into two phylogenetically-distinct populations in this edge habitat: the Carolinian population, also present in the United States, ends around Point Pelee National Park in southern Ontario. The St. Lawrence / Great Lakes population resides in the Ottawa Valley in eastern Ontario and tends to be more tolerant to sparse or rocky conditions than its sister subspecies.
Five-lined Skinks are ground-dwelling animals. They prefer moist, partially wooded habitat that provides ample cover or inside walls of buildings as well as sites to bask in the sun. They can also be found in broken, rocky areas at the northern edge of their habitat.
Reproduction
Fertilization in five-lined skinks is internal, with eggs laid by the female between the middle of May and July, at least one month after mating.Females lay fifteen to eighteen eggs in a small cavity cleared beneath a rotting log, stump, board, loose bark, a rock, or an abandoned rodent burrow (Harding 1997). Females prefer secluded nest sites in large, moderately decayed logs. Soil moisture is also an important factor in nest selection. Females often place nests in regions where soil moisture is higher than in adjacent areas. Vertical position of the nest also varies with moisture, with nests located deeper in a soil cavity at dry sites. Even when nesting sites are not limited, a significant amount of aggregation occurs.
The parchment like eggs of five-lined skinks, similar to many other reptiles, are thin and easily punctured. Freshly laid eggs range from spherical to oval in shape averaging 1.3 cm in length. Absorption of water from the soil leads to increased egg size. Egg coloration also changes over time, from white to mottled tan, after contact with the nest burrow. The incubation period ranges from 24 to 55 days, and varies due to fluctuations in temperature. Females typically brood their eggs during this time, exhibiting defensive behavior against smaller predators. Parental care ends a day or two after hatching when hatchlings leave the nest. Young five-lined skinks, with a potential life span of up to six years, attain sexual maturity and begin reproducing within two to three years of hatching.
Behavior
Adult male five-lined skinks exhibit complex courtship and aggressive behavior. Although males tolerate juveniles and females in their territories, they actively defend these areas against other males. Vomeronasal analysis of chemical cues and recognition of sex specific visual stimuli, including tail and body coloration, aid in the identification of gender. Evidence suggests that males may rely more on contact phermones than volatile airborne molecules in the identification of conspecifics. Courting males grasp the necks of receptive females in their jaws after approaching them from the side. Using the tail to align cloacal openings, males initiate copulation by inserting one of the two hemipenes into the female's cloaca. Copulation events typically last four to eight minutes.Female five-lined skinks demonstrate high levels of parental care which reduces of egg mortality. Females exhibit several brooding positions of variant contact levels with the body placed beside, over, through, or in a coil around the eggs. Brooding position varies according to soil moisture. Maternal body contact increases at lower moisture levels potentially reducing transpirational loss of the eggs. In communal nests, females may alternate foraging and guarding of the nests, leaving eggs protected at all times. Females may also urinate in the nests and turn eggs to maintain humidity. In addition, females transfer heat from basking through body contact. Any eggs displaced from the nest are retrieved by head or snout rolling, and rotten eggs are eaten.
Five-lined skinks also exhibit antipredation behavior. In evasion of various predators including snakes, crows, hawks, shrews, moles, opossums, skunks, raccoons, and domestic cats, skinks may disconnect their entire tail or a small segment. Skinks run to shelter to escape their distracted predators as the disconnected tail continues to twitch. Skinks may also utilize biting as a defensive strategy.
Captive care
Five-lined Skinks can be maintained in captivity with minimal care. A 20 gallons (90.9 l) aquarium with a screen lid makes a suitable enclosure for a pair; a larger enclosure will be needed for more than two animals. Never house adult males together as they are very territorial. Place a 1 inches (2.5 cm) layer of pea gravel on the bottom of the enclosure and cover it with about 3 inches (8 cm) of topsoil or organic potting soil (be sure to avoid potting soils that contain perlite, vermiculite, foam rubber and fertilizers) mixed with leaf mold and/or coconut bark chips. Give the skinks places to hide using unglazed terra cottaTerra cotta
Terracotta, Terra cotta or Terra-cotta is a clay-based unglazed ceramic, although the term can also be applied to glazed ceramics where the fired body is porous and red in color...
, flat stone or sections of bark. If collecting bark, avoid gathering it from areas where pesticides are used. Place an incandescent light over one end of the enclosure to create a temperature gradient for the skinks. Five-lined Skinks like a temperature gradient of 75 to 80 °F (23.9 to 26.7 C) on the cool end of their enclosure, 90 °F (32.2 °C) on the warm end. Leave the light on for 12–14 hours per day. The light should be operated using a timer to mimic the natural rising and setting of the sun. Humidity
Humidity
Humidity is a term for the amount of water vapor in the air, and can refer to any one of several measurements of humidity. Formally, humid air is not "moist air" but a mixture of water vapor and other constituents of air, and humidity is defined in terms of the water content of this mixture,...
in the skink enclosure should be between 55% and 75%. Mist the enclosure lightly once a day and make sure that the substrate under the shelters remains moist. The rest of the substrate should be allowed to dry out.
Captive diet
For feeding, skinks should be offered live insects. Crickets, mealworms and waxworms obtained from pet stores are good for skinks and many other small lizards. Another option is to go outside where you can find many beetles, caterpillars, and myriapods which they eat. The insects should undergo gut loadingGut loading
Gut loading is the process by which an animal's prey is raised and fed nutritious foods with the intention of passing those nutrients to the animal for which the prey is intended. This term is used most often in reference to the preparation of insects, such as crickets and mealworms, or mice which...
before being offered to the skinks: chicken mash is good for this purpose. If chicken mash cannot be obtained, rodent pellets and tropical fish flakes can be offered instead. Dust crickets and other insects with a calcium/D3 supplement to make sure the skinks get enough calcium
Calcium
Calcium is the chemical element with the symbol Ca and atomic number 20. It has an atomic mass of 40.078 amu. Calcium is a soft gray alkaline earth metal, and is the fifth-most-abundant element by mass in the Earth's crust...
. This is especially important for juveniles. Offer adult skinks 2–5 insects every other day, while juveniles should be fed daily. Each insect offered to a particular skink should be no more than half the size of the animal's head. Skinks can also be fed canned cat food and chopped fruit as part of a varied diet. Water should be offered in shallow non-metal bowl.
Selected literature
- Jeff Beane (2006). Love Skinks. Wildlife in North Carolina 70: 14-19. ISSN 0043-549X.
- Harding, J. 1997. Amphibians and Reptiles of the Great Lakes Region. Ann Arbor, Michigan: University of Michigan Press.
- Bernard S. Martof et al. (1980). Amphibians and Reptiles of the Carolinas and Virginia. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. ISBN 0-8078-4252-4.
- William M. Palmer, Alvin L. Braswell, Renaldo Kuhler (1995). Reptiles of North Carolina. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. ISBN 0-8078-2158-6.
External links
- Georgia Wildlife: discusses differentiation from similar Eumeces skinks
- Rlephoto Nature Blog: Photos of the nest with adult female, eggs and new born hatchlings.
- Species at Risk, Parks Canada
- Five-lined Skink, Canadian Biodiversity
- Five-lined Skink (Eumeces fasciatus), Natural Resources Canada
- Five Lined Skink, Five Lined Skink at Wildlife.ca