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July 29, 2010

Wild Facts: The line on skinks

Submitted by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources

If you have rotting logs, stumps or rocks in your yard, you probably have five-lined skinks, too.  After breeding in the spring, the female lays four-14 eggs and guards them until they hatch in early summer. The young have bright blue tails with five white or yellowish stripes down the length of their black bodies. At maturity, this species reaches 5-8½ inches long, the lines fade and the whole body turns gray.

To escape predators, skinks run fast and have tails that break off when necessary. This survival technique works well but means a loss of stored fat and protein until the tail grows back.

Wild Facts is a regular feature written by Linda May, environmental outreach coordinator with the Georgia DNR Wildlife Resources Division.

 

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