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
August 2, 1951. When rock was raised the female was not in evidence, and
only three eggs could be found; they had fallen from the nest cavity
to the bottom of the depression where the rock was imbedded and were
somewhat dried and indented.
No. 8. North slope, beneath rock approximately 18 × 15 × 4 inches,
at edge of small gully, where shaded most of the time including
mid-day hours.
July 20, 1951. Female attempted to escape from the nest. Four eggs
visible in nest, one 15-1/2 × 10 mm.
July 25, 1951. When rock was raised the female ran from the nest.
July 27, 1951. When rock was raised the female was in the nest with the
eggs; she ran and hid beneath a boulder five feet away. After a few
minutes she emerged and ran 15 feet to a hickory sapling and climbed
it.
July 28, 1951. Female was not in the nest but the four eggs were still
present.
July 30, 1951. Female found dead and partly eaten by ants beside rock
one foot from nest; eggs still present in the nest.
July 31, 1951. Eggs still present in the nest.
August 3, 1951. Eggs still present, including some deep in the nest
cavity which apparently were overlooked previously.
August 6, 1951. One much indented egg found outside the nest cavity was
opened and found to contain a live fetus, seemingly fully developed
and normal. The opened egg was placed on damp soil in a shady place
near the nest, but two hours later the hatchling had been killed and
partly eaten by swarms of ants.
August 9, 1951. The remaining eggs had disappeared, evidently taken by
a predator as no empty shells remained to indicate that the young
had hatched.
HATCHLINGS
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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