Vivariums;reptiles;five-lined skink

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. The mating season begins in May. The female Plestiodon will lay its eggs in June, and four to six weeks after the incubation, the young hatch. Thus the birthing process consists of laying eggs and external incubation.

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.[11] 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 pheromones 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 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.

The (American) five-lined skink - Plestiodon fasciatus

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The (American) five-lined skink (Plestiodon fasciatus) is a species of lizard endemic to North America. It is one of the most common lizards in the eastern U.S. and one of the seven native species of lizards in Canada.

Plestiodon fasciatus

Adult male

Juvenile

Conservation status:

Not evaluated (IUCN 3.1)

Scientific classification :

Kingdom:Animalia

Phylum:Chordata

Subphylum:Vertebrata

Class:Reptilia

Order:Squamata

Suborder:Lacertilia

Infraorder:Scincomorpha

Family:Scincidae

Genus:Plestiodon

Species:P. fasciatus

Binomial name :

Plestiodon fasciatus
(Linnaeus, 1758)

Synonyms :

Lacerta fasciata Linnaeus,1758[1]
Plestiodon fasciatus Baird, 1849[2]
Eumeces quinquelineatusBoulenger, 1887[3]
Eumeces fasciatus Heilprin, 1888[1]
Plestiodon fasciatus Stejneger &Barbour, 1917[2]
Eumeces fasciatus Taylor, 1936
Plestiodon fasciatus Schmitz et al., 2004[1]

Common names

Other common names include blue-tailed skink (for juveniles) and red-headed skink (for adults). It is technically appropriate to call it the American five-lined skink to distinguish it from the African skink Trachylepis quinquetaeniata (otherwise known as five-lined mabuya) or the eastern red-headed skink to distinguish it from its western relative Plestiodon skiltonianus (otherwise known as the 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.

Description

The American five-lined skink is small to medium-sized, growing to about 12.5 to 21.5 centimetres (4.9 to 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, P. inexpectatus, of the Southeastern United States is very similar to this species and there is some overlap in range. The two species can be distinguished by their scales.[4] The broad-headed skink, P. laticeps, is similar, and may be difficult to distinguish from P. fasciatus. The former species usually lacks the two enlarged postlabial scales characteristic of P. fasciatus.[5] Adult male broad-headed skinks, with their large size and swollen red head, are readily distinguished from P. fasciatus.[6]

Geographic range :

The range of the five-lined skink extends in the north to southern Ontario, Michigan and eastern New York. The western border is in Minnesota, Missouri and eastern Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas. These skinks tend to be most abundant on the coastal plain in the southeastern United States and along the Gulf Coast. They have now been seen in increasing numbers in the northern Chesapeake Bay Region of Maryland particularly along the shores of the Elk River.[citation needed]

Conservation status :

The Great Lakes - St. Lawrence population is listed as "special concern" in Ontario and Canada by COSSARO[7] and COSEWIC,[8] and it is illegal to remove skinks from their habitats. 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 Carolinian population is listed as "endangered" in Ontario and Canada by COSSARO,[7]COSEWIC,[8] 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.[9]

Habitat :

Five-lined skinks are ground-dwelling animals. They prefer moist, partially wooded habitat that provides ample cover or inside walls of buildings, trees 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.

Plestiodon fasciatus on boardwalk at Francis Beidler Forest

Detail of head

Subadult with partly regrown tail pictured in parkland in Memphis, Tennessee

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.[12]

Closeup of the Skink's face

Captive care :

Five-lined skinks can be maintained in captivity with minimal care.[citation needed] Some U.S. states impose general restrictions on taking reptiles including native five-lined skinks from the wild without a permit or hunting license, for example Maryland (no more than 4 may be possessed without a permit),[13] Indiana[14] and Ohio.[15]

A pair of skinks may live in a 25-30 US gallon terrarium, and may live for 5–10 years with adequate care.[16][17]

Photo gallery :

A great photo showing the coloration that these skinks have as juveniles

Natural History:
The Common Five-Lined Skink is a reptile of great range, it extends to Extreme southern Ontario, to eastern Texas, and roughly halfway down the Florida Panhandle. North of areas where it stays warm enough for activity on a daily basis, these skinks Hibernate (Or brumate in reptile terms) from mid October to mid March, and after hibernation these skinks eat some food and put breeding on top priority. The males are very aggressive to other males in their territory, and presumably use scents and pheromones to determine male from female, and if the females are ready to mate. After mating, females lay 4-15 eggs and stay with them the entire 24-55 days it takes them to hatch. Hatchling skinks are pitch black with five bright yellow lines leading down to the bright cobalt blue tail, which scientists believe that either the skinks are toxic, or to lure predators to the tail which they can regrow. Prey items in the wild include the following: Field Crickets, grubs, butterflies, moths, slugs and snails, earthworms, spiders, and millipedes. Presumed prey could include small vertebrates, such as small or newly morphed frogs and toads, small and again freshly morphed salamanders and newts, fish if they are in an area where they can catch them, small and baby birds, and small and baby mice. These skinks are also a food item for many animals, including large invertebrates, including large web-making spiders and praying mantids, such as Orb-weavers and Chinese mantids, vertebrates such as fish and large amphibians and reptiles eat them, as do birds such as Crows and American kestrels. Many mammals love the taste of skink, as many eat this species. Raccoons, Moles, Red foxes, Striped skunks, Virginia opossums, and Domestic cats are all confirmed to eat this little skink. This species counteracts its predators, by using short bursts of speed to dash away from its chaser. They can either burrow to avoid predators, or climb trees and shrubs to escape. From personal experience, these skinks find a escape route, and stay near it no matter what. When a predator tries to attack them, they retreat to their escape route, (Mine was a broken column) and don't leave until the cost is clear. Hatchling and juvenile skinks however, have a different strategy when it comes to outsmarting predators. The bright blue tail lures the attack away from the body, but to something the skink can afford to lose. Scientists also believe that the skink is toxic,(Or at least the tail) because some cats have been hospitalized from eating the Southeastern Five-Lined.

Juvenile with a still vivid blue tail

Head, showing two enlarged postlabial scales, diagnostic for this species compared to P. laticeps, see Georgia wildlife and Palmer et al. (1995)

Female or sub-adult male, dorsal view

Part of the tail regrowing

View of the tail

Juvenile on the side of a man-made structure

Plestiodon fasciatus - Video Learning - WizScience.com

For the external links , refrences click here to read the full wikipedia article

Other Websites :

- www.iucnredlist.org/details/64227/0

- reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Plestiodon&species=fasciatus

Care in Captivity :

1- Care-sheet for American Five-Lined Skink (Plestiodon fasciatus) And relatives

courtesy to : www.frogforum.net/showthread.php?t=35023

A female Common Five-Lined with stripes down her back (Females tend to keep coloration longer than males)

Video :

A male Common Five-Lined Skink, who kept some of his hatchling coloration

Introduction:
The Common Five-Lined Skink, one of the many species of lizard found throughout North America. Most people like these lizards due to their bright coloration as juveniles and hatchlings, which typically fade with age, but some can be found with a blue tail, or stripes down the back. First described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758, It was later revealed in 1932, that a sub-species of this skink in the southeast United States, was an actual species.(Plestiodon inexpectatus) This care-sheet is designed to inform people on the natural history of this species of lizard, and to inform people on how to care for them in captivity. This care-sheet is also helpful in care for the two other large species of skink found throughout much of the Eastern Seaboard. (Plestiodon inexpectatus and Plestiodon laticeps)

General Captive Care:
Common Five-Lined Skinks thrive and flourish in captivity, but they need certain care that some people may not be able to supply. These reptiles are cold blooded, which means that they cannot hold their body temperature like us mammals. They need a terrarium with enough space to bask to build up body heat, and space to cool down. They also need hides and décor, such as leaves, rocks, and live plants, and they also need water like everything else. You should have a water dish, but you need to mist them daily until you see it drink from a water dish. They also need live foods, as in insects, like Crickets, Roaches, Night-crawlers,(Earthworms) Meal-worms, Wax-worms, and other insects commonly available in pet-stores. [Also, a note about catching insects and other feeders from the wild: Even though you probably caught your skink from the wild, I would strongly advise against catching wild insects from your backyard, because the risk of contamination from food is t high. Even if you do not use pesticides in your yard, other people could use them around you, and even then, one that was sprayed could have flown to your yard where you feed it to your skink by mistake. Also, wild things have parasites in them, that could very well survive in the new hosts (The lizard and possibly you!) and cause detrimental affects on it, and again possibly you, so make sure you feed it foods not from the wild!] And before making the decision of getting a skink, go ahead and look up reptile and amphibian vets (Exotic animals) near you, incase anything goes south.

A wild female Five-Lined Skink eating a roach

Breaking It Down:
This section will be different from the others, as I am going to explain the care in sections, otherwise it would take too long to do
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Basking Light And Daily Temperature:
These skinks like it hot! A prefered basking bulb is a UVB light that is at the very least 100 watts. The basking/warm spot should be 85/100 degrees fareinheit, and the cool/water area should be 80/75 degrees. Night-time temperatures should be 75/65, colder than that should only be for brumation if you want to breed them, and any hotter could flat out kill them, so be cautious when making sure about heating.
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Terrarium Size and Personal Reccomended Brand:
For one skink, an adult will need at least 20 gallons of space, for daily activity. It should also be said, that these skinks need space to burrow instead of climb, so width is better that height. Juveniles can be kept in a 10 gallon, but will soon outgrow it! If keeping more than one, you will need to add 20 more gallons for each lizard. 2 in a 40 gallon, 3 in a 80 gallon, and no more can be safely kept, because it will lead to a pecking order and will lead to fights among the lizards. My personal reccomendation is Exo-Terra, because the tanks come with extra ventalation and locks, so it makes everything much safer
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Humidity:
No more than 60, and no less than 20. To keep humidity up, you can get a spray bottle, not used for chemecals, and mist with water daily to every two days, or you can get an automatic mister, and set a specific time to mist and for how long, and it will do it automatically.
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Water:
Unless you see your skink start drinking water from its water dish, mist it daily to make sure it is geting enough water. Don't use tap water, as it has dangerous chemecals that make it safe to drink for people.
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Feeding:
Small live foods, such as Dubia roaches,(The personal best feeder) calcium dusted crickets, grasshopers and locusts,(Second favorite) and earthworms and night-crawlers.(third) Other foods I do not reccomend, unless you are feeding a sick one, one that will not eat, or there is a shortge on other foods. Meal-worms and Super-worms may sound good, but these are not very good, ad they are hard to digest properly. Wax-worms are not very good either, as they are extremly fatty, and should only be used feeding something skinny or sick. Fruit flies are actually a good feeder, but only for small hatchlings and Juveniles.
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Set-up:
A good set-up has easly plyable soil to burrow in, at the very least two hides to hide underneath, a water dish, basking light, plants, rocks and that sort of thing to help with stress, and to hide/camoflauge with, and good, nutritous food. If done corectly, your skink/s should thrive in captivity, and should have years and years to live a long life in its cage
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A sub-adult female Five-Lined, with juvenile coloration

Summary:
With dragon claws and scales, an attitude to match, and an easy to care for life, these magnificent reptiles are almost miniature dragons.

Links and further reading:

http://photobucket.com/images/five%20lined%20skink
http://srelherp.uga.edu/
http://srelherp.uga.edu/lizards/eumfas.htm
http://www.biokids.umich.edu/critter...don_fasciatus/
http://www.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ec...ined_skink.htm
http://people.wcsu.edu/pinout/herpet.../behavior.html
http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/
http://www.repticzone.com/caresheets/241.html
http://www.repticzone.com/forums/Skinks/index.html