Isn’t this Five-Lined Skink one of the most beautiful lizards you have ever seen? The blue tail, which seems almost to phosphoresce, commands the attention of predators and directs the attack to a less vulnerable area of the body. The tail is detachable and is sometimes sacrificed to save the life of the skink. As a youngster, I was devastated when I lifted my cupped hands and found only a wiggly tail where I thought a lizard should be. Even when I learned that the lizard was fine and would regrow its tail, I felt I had done the creature a terrible wrong.
This is only the second Skink I’ve seen at Blue Jay Barrens. The first was seen more than a decade before I began carrying a digital camera with me. When I see something that I haven’t yet photographed, I take my first shot from the point of first sighting. I’ve learned that sometimes I only get one chance and I don’t want to lose that chance by trying for a better vantage point. This is my first view of the Five-Line Skink. From here I tried for a better position by using my sneaky little stalking maneuvers.
Skinks are fast moving lizards. You don’t expect that kind of speed, because it never seems to lift its body clear of the substrate. It always looks too tired to move, but sight of an insect will cause it to dart forward to capture the prey.
Skinks live in wooded areas, especially areas that have an abundance of downed trees and decaying wood. This specimen was found outside my barn door. I intentionally make piles of logs and old firewood in an effort to attract skinks. Maybe I’m beginning to have some luck. Something I’ve always wanted to see is a skink’s nest. The female creates a chamber beneath a rock or log and lays a clutch of eggs. She stays and guards the eggs until they hatch. Wouldn’t that be neat to see?
I really enjoyed seeing this skink and hope to see it often through the summer. Sometimes I think this is a lizard that would rather be a snake. Look at the way it has its legs. I get the impression it has collapsed and can’t find the strength to lift itself. I’m going to be watching very closely later this summer to see if any baby skinks make an appearance.
Isn’t this Five-Lined Skink one of the most beautiful lizards you have ever seen? The blue tail, which seems almost to phosphoresce, commands the attention of predators and directs the attack to a less vulnerable area of the body. The tail is detachable and is sometimes sacrificed to save the life of the skink. As a youngster, I was devastated when I lifted my cupped hands and found only a wiggly tail where I thought a lizard should be. Even when I learned that the lizard was fine and would regrow its tail, I felt I had done the creature a terrible wrong.
This is only the second Skink I’ve seen at Blue Jay Barrens. The first was seen more than a decade before I began carrying a digital camera with me. When I see something that I haven’t yet photographed, I take my first shot from the point of first sighting. I’ve learned that sometimes I only get one chance and I don’t want to lose that chance by trying for a better vantage point. This is my first view of the Five-Line Skink. From here I tried for a better position by using my sneaky little stalking maneuvers.
Skinks are fast moving lizards. You don’t expect that kind of speed, because it never seems to lift its body clear of the substrate. It always looks too tired to move, but sight of an insect will cause it to dart forward to capture the prey.
Skinks live in wooded areas, especially areas that have an abundance of downed trees and decaying wood. This specimen was found outside my barn door. I intentionally make piles of logs and old firewood in an effort to attract skinks. Maybe I’m beginning to have some luck. Something I’ve always wanted to see is a skink’s nest. The female creates a chamber beneath a rock or log and lays a clutch of eggs. She stays and guards the eggs until they hatch. Wouldn’t that be neat to see?
I really enjoyed seeing this skink and hope to see it often through the summer. Sometimes I think this is a lizard that would rather be a snake. Look at the way it has its legs. I get the impression it has collapsed and can’t find the strength to lift itself. I’m going to be watching very closely later this summer to see if any baby skinks make an appearance.
