Ground skink
The Little brown skink (Scincella lateralis) is a small lizard found in the eastern half of the United States, and northern Mexico. This is one of the smallest reptiles in North America. The Little brown skink differs from the majority of North American lizard species in that it is generally considered a forest dweller.
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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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FossorialA fossorial animal is one adapted to digging which lives primarily but not solely, underground. Some examples are badgers, naked mole-rats, clams, ...
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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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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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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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PredatorPredators are animals that kill and eat other organisms, their prey. Predators may actively search for or pursue prey or wait for it, often conceal...
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PolygynandryPolygynandry is a mating system in which both males and females have multiple mating partners during a breeding season.
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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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Not a migrantAnimals that do not make seasonal movements and stay in their native home ranges all year round are called not migrants or residents.
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starts withThe back of this species is typically a coppery brown color with a white or yellow underside, and like most skinks has an elongated body and short legs. Transparent disks in the lower eyelids allow it to see with its eyes closed. Females tend to grow faster and be larger than males, but males have larger heads.
Little brown skinks are found throughout much of the Eastern United States, from New Jersey, Ohio, and Kansas south to Texas and Florida, as well as into northern Mexico. More recently, they have been sighted in southern New York State. They don't occur at higher elevations in the Appalachian Mountains. Little brown skins live in deciduous or mixed deciduous/coniferous forests, hedgerows, and the edges of streams and ponds. They require a deep substrate, such as leaf litter where they can hide.
Little brown skinks are fossorial, spending the majority of their time buried in leaf litter on the forest floor. Unlike other skinks, they seldom climb trees. They wriggle through the leaf litter with undulating movements. It may dive under water when pursued, although normally avoids wet areas. Little brown skinks are diurnal but may be active at night as well. They hibernate during the coldest months but may be active in almost any month of the year in North Carolina. To prevent predation Little brown skinks will use their cryptic coloration to hide, if that fails they will run away, as a final defense they will practice tail autotomy or tail dropping. The tail autotomy distracts the predator and allows the skink to escape; the tail will later regrow. Males are more aggressive than females and are known to bite. Due to males being more aggressive, they often have a larger head than females. This difference also gives the males an advantage when competing for females, attacking larger females, and defending themselves from predators. The aggressiveness seen in adults is not shared in newly hatched skinks, instead, they are docile and may even share retreats. When hunting, Little brown skinks use two main methods of locating prey: visual and chemical senses. A visual incentive is associated with tongue flicking, orientation to the prey, and attack behavior. Little brown skinks locate prey chemicals and "smell" by tongue-flicking.
Little brown skinks are carnivores (insectivores). They eat small insects, spiders, earthworms, wood roaches, ants, beetles, and various isopods.
Little brown skins are polygynandrous (promiscuous) meaning that both the males and the females have multiple mates. Females lay clutches during the summer, March through August in the Southern United States. There may be more than one clutch per year. They lay small clutches of 1-6 (usually 2-3) eggs in moist soil, rotting logs, falling logs, or under rocks and don't guard their eggs. Baby skinks hatch in 1-2 months and don't require parental care. They become reproductively mature at one year of age. Females generally start to breed earlier than males.
There are no major threats to this species at present.
According to the IUCN Red List, the Little brown skink is common 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.
