Following a period of warm weather, five-lined skinks are once again active on our Columbia, Missouri, property. These common reptiles are also known as blue-tailed skinks since juveniles sport bright blue tails; adult males, on the other hand, have an orange-colored head during breeding season.
Favoring sunny areas, these skinks bask on rock walls, decks and wooden fences between sorties to feast on a wide variety of invertebrates (insects, spiders, slugs, earthworms). Nesting begins by late April and the nest is placed on the ground in a sheltered location; the female tends to the eggs until they hatch, eating those that fail to do so. As with other reptiles, the young are on their own once they emerge and the blue tails in this species may ward off predators (including adult male skinks).
Five-lined skinks will remain active into October, scurrying across the deck or rustling through the leaf litter to locate prey. Predators include fox, raccoons, opossums, snakes, hawks, crows and house cats. Come fall, they seek refuge in wood piles, hollow logs, abandoned dens and foundation cracks, among other sheltered sites.
Favoring sunny areas, these skinks bask on rock walls, decks and wooden fences between sorties to feast on a wide variety of invertebrates (insects, spiders, slugs, earthworms). Nesting begins by late April and the nest is placed on the ground in a sheltered location; the female tends to the eggs until they hatch, eating those that fail to do so. As with other reptiles, the young are on their own once they emerge and the blue tails in this species may ward off predators (including adult male skinks).
Five-lined skinks will remain active into October, scurrying across the deck or rustling through the leaf litter to locate prey. Predators include fox, raccoons, opossums, snakes, hawks, crows and house cats. Come fall, they seek refuge in wood piles, hollow logs, abandoned dens and foundation cracks, among other sheltered sites.
