Five-lined Skink
Plestiodon fasciatus
Appearance 2
They are characterized by five yellow to cream colored stripes of equal width running from the snout to tail. These stripes, separated by darker lines, may lighten with age, eventually disappearing in older males. The typical black background color of juveniles and young adult females also fades with age to a brown, gray, or olive hue in adults. The body is slender and long and lacks a distinct neck. The head is wedge-shaped. The small limbs have five toes each with well-developed claws.
Habitat 2
Five-lined Skinks prefer moist wooded or partially wooded areas with significant cover and abundant basking sites. These sites may include wood or brush piles, stumps, logs, rocky outcrops, loose bark, or abandoned buildings.
Behavior/Reproduction 2
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. Five-lined Skinks are mostly active during the day, taking refuge at night. Males actively defend small territories against other males.
Fun Fact 2
If confronted with a predator, skinks may disconnect their entire tail or a small segment. The tail is often brightly colored and twitches, this distracts the predator long enough for the skink to run away. They re-grow their tails over time.
Citations 2
http://www.biokids.umich.edu/critters/Plestiodon_fasciatus/
Sources and Credits
- (c) Vicki's Nature, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), http://www.flickr.com/photos/7327719@N06/3516181309
- (c) gburg2016, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
More Info
iNat Map
| Category | Amphibians and Reptiles |
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