Life History and Ecology of the Five-Lined Skink, Eumeces fasciatusFitch, Henry S. (Henry Sheldon)
Science
Life History and Ecology of the Five-Lined Skink, Eumeces fasciatus
Fitch, Henry S. (Henry Sheldon)
Eumeces fasciatus
Although recorded movements varied from a few inches to hundreds of
yards, the most noteworthy feature in general was the short distance
between points of capture (considered in relation to the potential
mobility of the lizards) after days, weeks, months or years. In many
instances no movement was demonstrable, even though successive points of
capture were not exactly the same. Named natural landmarks, mostly
trees, boulders and logs, well distributed over the study area, were
used as a basis for locating points on the map. Direction and distance
in feet to the nearest landmark was recorded for each site of capture,
but for distances of more than 25 feet estimates were made to the
nearest ten feet. Usually at least one landmark was available within a
50-foot radius from any point where a capture was made. Occasional
estimates made for distances of more than 50 feet, or even more than 100
feet, in the absence of suitable landmarks nearby, were sources of
inaccuracy. For such estimates errors of up to ten feet were common, and
some errors of greater magnitude were made.
For most individuals successive sites of capture tended to cluster
within a small area, but the occasional outlying capture sites indicate
that each individual does range outside the area in which its activities
are concentrated. These occasional excursions cannot be consistently
attributed to any one ecologic requirement, nor are they limited to any
particular time within the season of activity. Adult males, however,
tend to make longer movements in the brief period of concentrated sexual
activity, thereby increasing their chances of finding mates. Similarly,
adult females may wander beyond their usual ranges in search of suitable
nesting sites. The home range may be thought of as consisting of a small
central portion where activities are largely concentrated, and an outer
area several times as large, familiar to the animal but used to a lesser
extent by it. The activities gradually become more diffuse farther from
the central part of the home range. In the five-lined skink, home ranges
are unlikely to approximate the circular shape because they are molded
with respect to environmental features that are not uniformly
distributed. A rotting log, an old tree with decayed hollow base and
nearby fallen slabs of bark and dead limbs, a rock outcrop with numerous
deep holes and crevices, or a group of flat rocks in a forest glade
fulfill requirements not met in the surrounding habitat with the result
that home ranges are built around them. Consequently a home range may
be long and narrow, with maximum diameter several times the minimum
diameter.
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