Five Lined Skink

Plestiodon fasciatus

Reptile

Transcript:

Today on Animal Fact Files we’re discussing five lined skinks. Five lined skinks are also known as blue tailed skinks however neither of these common names is particularly perfect because these reptiles change color as they age! When they first hatch, five lined skink babies have the iconic and namesake five white to yellow lines running down their back and sides. These end where their bright blue tail begins, and it's this saturated appendage that leads to their other common name. It's worth mentioning, however, that there are other skink species, such as the broad-headed skink, whose babies look exceptionally similar to the babies of this skink species! In fact, the only way to tell them apart is to look at their scales. Common five lined skinks have broad scales along the bottom of their tail and four scales between their eye and upper lip. That's the easiest way to identify them, of course, they're not likely to let someone get close enough to do that.

Five lined skinks are skittish. They'll run away at the sight of a would-be predator such as a tall human being. There are a few species commonly known as five lined skinks, that live throughout eastern North America, though this video is focused mainly on the common five lined skink. They inhabit forest habitats with downed trees and rotting debris under which they can hide. They're also quite commonly observed around human homes! Common five lined skinks tend to be found closer to the ground than other related species who may appear more arboreal. They're also diurnal and most frequently seen in the morning during the spring and summer months. When it's winter, these reptiles enter a state of low activity until the weather warms.

While five lined skinks start out with five lines, these fade over time. Females take on a more gray hue while males appear brown with a red head. This red becomes even more prominent during the breeding season. Five lined skink males find females via pheromones and nip at a ladies neck while they mate. The female produces a clutch of five to fifteen eggs that she lays in a rotten log, under debris, or in a protected rock pile. It takes one to two months for the babies to develop, and the female remains with the eggs the entire time. She'll urinate on them to keep them moist and eat any eggs that spoil. In fact, the eggs actually grow in size while she watches them and the babies leave the nest within a few days of hatching. 

Five lined skinks average about 3 inches (7.6 cm) long not including their tail and more than double that when their tail is included, however, like other skinks, these reptiles can drop their tail to distract a predator and make an escape. The blue color of a juvenile's tail acts as a distraction to a predator, although some scientists speculate it may be an indication of their acrid taste. Supposedly they taste terrible, but that doesn't stop other lizards, snakes, birds, and carnivorous mammals from eating them. In turn, five lined skinks eat roaches, spiders, and other arthropods as well as worms and even baby mice! They can live about half a decade. 

These reptiles have another common name throughout parts of their range. They're also called "scorpions." They get this name from the false belief that they're venomous and can sting like a scorpion. This is untrue. Five lined skinks don't have venom and even if they did bite a human, they're not strong enough to break through human skin, so there's nothing to worry about even if you know them by that name! In fact, these lizards may even be beneficial to people. There's thought that five lined skinks help dilute Lyme disease and make it less transmissible to human beings!

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