Blue-tailed skink (for juveniles), Red-headed skink (for adults), Five-lined skink, Eastern red-headed skink
The American five-lined skink (Plestiodon fasciatus) is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. It is one of the most common lizards in the eastern U.S. and one of the seven native species of lizards in Canada.
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DiurnalDiurnal animals are active during the daytime, with a period of sleeping or other inactivity at night. The timing of activity by an animal depends ...
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CarnivoreA carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of a...
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InsectivoresAn insectivore is a carnivorous plant or animal that eats insects. An alternative term is entomophage, which also refers to the human practice of e...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
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PrecocialPrecocial species are those in which the young are relatively mature and mobile from the moment of birth or hatching. Precocial species are normall...
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TerritorialA territory is a sociographical area that which an animal consistently defends against the conspecific competition (or, occasionally, against anima...
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OviparousOviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
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BurrowingA burrow is a hole or tunnel excavated into the ground by an animal to create a space suitable for habitation, temporary refuge, or as a byproduct ...
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PolygynyPolygyny is a mating system in which one male lives and mates with multiple females but each female only mates with a single male.
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Generally solitaryGenerally solitary animals are those animals that spend their time separately but will gather at foraging areas or sleep in the same location or sh...
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HibernatingHibernation is a state of minimal activity and metabolic depression undergone by some animal species. Hibernation is a seasonal heterothermy charac...
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starts withYoung American five-lined skinks are dark brown to black in color 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.
American five-lined skinks are found in Canada and the United States. Their range extends in the north to southern Ontario, Michigan, and eastern New York. The western border is in Minnesota, Missouri, and eastern Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, northern peninsular Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas. These lizards prefer moist, partially wooded habitat that provides ample cover, trees as well as sites to bask in the sun. They live in forest edges, mixed pine-hardwood forests, along wooded river margins, in rocky areas, stumps, logs, brush piles, or inside walls of abandoned buildings.
American five-lined skinks are ground-dwelling animals but will also climb trees. They are active during the day and if threatened will run away quickly and hide in the nearest tree or log. Like many other lizards, American five-lined skinks will lose their tails when captured or threatened by a predator; this allows the lizard to distract potential predators and escape. American five-lined skinks are generally solitary creatures but may hibernate in small groups during cold winter months. Adult males exhibit complex courtship and aggressive behavior. Although males tolerate juveniles and females in their territories, they actively defend these areas against other males. In order to determine the gender of other skinks, these lizards use their vision and their ability to detect pheromones.
American five-lined skinks are carnivores (insectivores). Their diet consists primarily of a variety of arthropods, particularly spiders, crickets, beetles, and other insects. However, they will also eat newborn mice, frogs, and other lizards.
American five-lined skinks are polygynous which means that males mate with more than one female during the breeding season. These lizards start to breed in May. The female will lay its eggs at least one month after mating, and 4-6 weeks after the incubation, the young hatch. Thus the birthing process consists of laying eggs and external incubation. Females lay 15-18 eggs in a small cavity cleared beneath a rotting log, stump, board, loose bark, a rock, or an abandoned rodent burrow. Females often place nests in regions where soil moisture is higher than in adjacent areas. Even when nesting sites are not limited, females may gather in communal nests in order to reduce egg mortality. In communal nests, females may alternate foraging and guarding the nests, leaving eggs protected at all times. Females may also urinate in the nests and turn eggs to maintain humidity. The incubation period ranges from 24 to 55 days and varies due to fluctuations in temperature. Females typically brood their eggs during this time, protecting them against smaller predators. Parental care ends a day or two after hatching when hatchlings leave the nest. Young skinks attain reproductive maturity and begin reproducing within 2-3 years of hatching.
There are no major threats to American five-lined skinks at present.
According to IUCN, the American five-lined skink is locally common and widespread throughout its range but no overall population estimate is available. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers today are stable.
Due to their diet habits, American five-lined skinks help to control populations of insects and other invertebrates they consume. These lizards are also a prey item for local predators including snakes, crows, hawks, shrews, moles, opossums, skunks, raccoons, and domestic cats.
