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
Saginaw Bay region, females taken on June 19 had eggs nearly ready to be
laid, and after July 2 clutches were found frequently; young of the year
were first observed on July 31. A juvenal specimen in the University of
Minnesota Natural History Museum, collected on August 11, 1938, at
Dresser Junction, Wisconsin, is 30-1/2 mm. in snout-vent
length--approximately the size of juveniles in northeastern Kansas at
the same season. Evans and Roecker (1951:6) record hatching as occurring
in the first week of September at Arden, Ontario, indicating that at the
northern edge of the range hatching may be delayed as much as two
months. With such delayed hatching, but little time remains for the
young to grow before they are forced into retirement for hibernation.
FIGHTING
Territoriality in the usual sense is lacking in the five-lined skink,
and could scarcely exist in an animal of its habits. To defend a
definite area (territory) against intruders of its own species, the
animal would have to detect such intruders promptly. The skink, however,
is so secretive in habits that at any given time the individual is
likely to be hiding and inactive, even when conditions are favorable for
it to be in the open, and other individuals therefore can then wander
onto its home range unopposed. Even when an individual is active, it
lacks the ability to detect others, except within a radius which would
encompass only a small fraction of the entire home range. The senses
are inadequate to inform one lizard of the presence of another until the
two are only a few yards, or even a few inches apart. Usually the lizard
is on the ground, where even small objects obstruct its view, and vision
is probably effective for only a few yards. Hearing is probably
effective for about the same radius in detecting animals of
approximately its own size. Scent is effective in detecting prey near at
hand or on contact, but probably does not serve for detection of other
lizards that are not in the immediate vicinity. Therefore, the area
covered by one in the course of its normal activities may harbor many
others, and individuals most of the time are unaware of the others on
their home ranges.
Under most circumstances these skinks behave toward each other with
tolerance or indifference, but during the breeding season adult males
become hostile, and fight on sight. Their reddish facial suffusion
serves as a social releaser which elicits hostile behavior and
facilitates sex recognition. As the breeding season wanes, the reddish
suffusion fades rapidly and male hostility, probably controlled by the
same hormonal complex, is likewise suppressed. Hostile behavior is rare
in adult females or young at any time.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account