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
in old males, which retain no trace of the stripes or of the blue color
on the tail. Old females usually retain the dark lateral area, and the
tail is usually bluish gray, with a blue scale remaining here and there
if the tail has not been regenerated.
Most individuals lose their original tails, however. By the time the
young are approximately two months old, about half have had their tails
broken, and by the time they are a year old and have grown to small
adult size, three-fourths have regenerated tails. Some individuals may
have had their tails broken and regenerated many times. Tails regenerate
rapidly and most of the growth is made within the first few weeks. The
regenerated tail is not so long as the original lost portion.
Individuals tend to stay within small areas which are their regular home
ranges. These ranges are only a fraction of an acre in extent, but vary
considerably in size and shape according to the individual and the
situation. Home ranges of approximately 90-foot diameter for adult males
and young, and a little more than 30-foot diameter for adult females are
indicated. A home range generally centers about some environmental
feature providing shelter and food, such as a log, hollow tree, or rock
outcrop. Activity tends to be concentrated in the central part of the
home range. An individual may continue to occupy the same home range
throughout its lifetime, or it may gradually alter its range, shifting
by slow stages into a new area. Some individuals seem to "get lost" or
voluntarily shift, and settle in a new area which may be hundreds of
feet removed from the original range. Shifts are most likely to occur
after emergence from hibernation, when the lizard finds its habitat
somewhat altered. Individuals released in areas strange to them settled
down and established new home ranges, either immediately or after brief
wandering.
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