The blue-tailed skink, scientifically known as Plestiodon fasciatus, is a captivating reptile species. It belongs to the family Scincidae and is known for its vibrant blue tail and unique characteristics. These skinks are native to North America. Other common names for P. fasciatus include five-lined skink and red-headed skink (for adults). It's also appropriate to call it the American five-lined skink to distinguish it from the African skink Trachylepis quinquetaeniata, otherwise known as five-lined mabuya, or the eastern red-headed skink to distinguish it from its western relative Plestiodon skiltonianus, otherwise known as the western skink.
Physical Description
The American five-lined skink is small to medium-sized, growing to about 12.5 to 21.5 centimetres (4.9 to 8.5 in) total length (including tail). Young American five-lined skinks are dark brown to black with five distinctive white to yellowish stripes running along the body and a bright blue tail. The blue color fades to light blue with age, and the stripes also may slowly disappear. Females, however, are more likely to retain the blue tail color as they age. The dark brown color fades, too, and older individuals are often uniformly brownish.
Habitat and Distribution
The range of the American five-lined skink extends in the north to southern Ontario, Michigan, and eastern New York. The western border is in Minnesota, Missouri, and eastern Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana, Tennessee, and Texas. P. fasciatus tends to be most abundant on the coastal plain in the southeastern United States and along the Gulf Coast. It has now been seen in increasing numbers in the northern Chesapeake Bay Region of Maryland particularly along the shores of the Elk River, and northern Virginia.
The American five-lined skink is a ground-dwelling animal. It prefers moist, hardwood areas with a permanent water source such as rivers or streams, as well as sites to bask in the sun. It can also be found in broken, rocky areas at the northern edge of its habitat. Within the northern edge of its habitat, it was found that they prefer areas with longer than average rock cover in areas with few trees.
Diet and Nutrition
The common five-lined skink's diet consists primarily of a variety of arthropods, particularly spiders, crickets, beetles and other insects. However, they have been reported to also eat newborn mice, frogs, and other lizards. Wild skinks will make short forays into heavily used core areas to find food. Those who own a pet skink are advised to supplement the skink's diet with fruits and vegetables. In addition to eating insects, skinks enjoy a variety of fruits and vegetables.
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Blue Tailed Skink Diet Essentials
Blue tailed skinks are omnivores, which means they consume a variety of insects, fruits, and vegetables. In the wild, their diet consists of small insects like crickets, mealworms, and beetles, as well as fruits and leafy greens. When kept as pets, it's important to replicate this diverse diet to ensure they receive all the necessary nutrients. Providing a mix of live insects and appropriately-sized fruits and vegetables can mimic their natural diet, promoting good health and natural behaviors.
Key Nutrients
To maintain their health and well-being, blue tailed skinks require a balanced diet rich in key nutrients. Some essential nutrients include calcium, vitamin D3, and protein. Calcium is crucial for bone health, vitamin D3 aids in calcium absorption, and protein is necessary for growth and overall vitality. In addition to insects, consider offering calcium-rich foods like dark leafy greens, broccoli, and certain fruits. Ensuring they have access to natural sunlight or UVB lighting is essential for proper vitamin D3 synthesis, contributing to their overall health.
Feeding Options
When it comes to feeding your pet skink, there are several options available to ensure they receive a balanced and nutritious diet. Proper nutrition is crucial for the health and well-being of your skink, so it's important to understand the different feeding options and choose the best ones for your scaly friend.
Best Live Food Choices
Skinks are carnivorous reptiles that thrive on a diet of live insects. Some of the best live food choices for skinks include crickets, mealworms, dubia roaches, and waxworms. These insects are rich in protein and nutrients that are essential for your skink's growth and development. It's important to gut-load these insects with nutritious foods before feeding them to your skink to ensure they provide maximum benefits. Variety is key when it comes to live food, as different insects offer varying nutritional profiles. For example, crickets are high in protein, while waxworms are a good source of fat. Rotating these options can help provide a well-rounded diet for your skink.
Commercial Skink Diets
In addition to live food, there are also commercial skink diets available in the market. These diets are formulated to provide a balanced nutrition profile for your skink. When choosing a commercial skink diet, it's important to carefully evaluate the ingredients and nutritional content. Look for diets that are high in protein and low in fat, with added vitamins and minerals to meet your skink's dietary requirements. Some commercial diets also come in pellet form, which can be convenient for feeding and ensure your skink receives all the necessary nutrients. However, it's essential to supplement commercial diets with live food to mimic a more natural diet for your skink.
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Appropriate Fruits and Vegetables
While skinks primarily feed on live insects, they can also benefit from the occasional serving of fruits and vegetables. Some suitable options include leafy greens like kale and collard greens, as well as fruits like berries and melon. These foods can provide additional vitamins and minerals to supplement your skink's diet. However, it's crucial to avoid feeding citrus fruits or high-oxalate vegetables like spinach, as these can be harmful to your skink's health. When offering fruits and vegetables, ensure they are chopped into small, bite-sized pieces to prevent choking hazards.
Variety and Moderation
To ensure your skink receives a well-rounded diet, it's essential to offer a variety of feeding options. Mixing up the live insects, commercial diets, and fresh produce can prevent dietary imbalances and provide enrichment for your skink. Additionally, remember that moderation is key, especially when it comes to fruits and vegetables. Overfeeding these items can lead to obesity and other health issues in skinks. Always monitor your skink's weight and adjust their diet accordingly to maintain a healthy body condition.
Establishing a Feeding Schedule
When it comes to caring for your pet skink, establishing a proper feeding schedule is crucial for its health and well-being. As a general rule of thumb, juvenile skinks should be fed daily to support their rapid growth and development. Adult skinks, on the other hand, can be fed every other day to prevent obesity and other health issues. It's essential to feed your skink during the daytime when they are most active and alert.
Proper portion control is essential to prevent overfeeding or underfeeding your skink. A good guideline to follow is offering food items that are approximately the size of your skink's head. This ensures that they are getting enough nutrients without overeating. Monitor your skink's body condition regularly and adjust portion sizes accordingly.
As your skink grows, its dietary needs will change. Juvenile skinks require a diet rich in protein and calcium to support their growth and bone development. Adult skinks, on the other hand, need a more balanced diet that includes a variety of insects, fruits, and vegetables. Be sure to adjust their diet as they age to meet their changing nutritional requirements.
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Feeding your skink a varied diet is crucial to ensure they receive all the necessary nutrients for optimal health. Insects such as crickets, mealworms, and roaches are excellent sources of protein for your skink. Additionally, incorporating leafy greens like collard greens, kale, and dandelion greens provides essential vitamins and minerals. It's also important to consider calcium supplementation for your skink, especially for growing juveniles and gravid females. Dusting their food with calcium powder or providing calcium-rich treats like cuttlebone can help prevent metabolic bone diseases.
Supplementation and Hydration
Skinks, like all living creatures, require a balanced diet rich in essential nutrients to thrive. Supplements play a crucial role in ensuring that skinks receive all the necessary vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients that may be lacking in their primary diet. From calcium to vitamin D3, these supplements can help address nutritional gaps and promote optimal health. Even with a carefully planned diet, skinks may still require additional supplementation to achieve a balanced nutrient intake. Supplements can act as a nutritional insurance policy, filling in any gaps that may exist in their regular food. By incorporating supplements into their diet, skinks can maintain a well-rounded nutritional profile.
Nutrient deficiencies can have serious consequences for skink health, ranging from weakened immune systems to skeletal deformities. Supplements play a crucial role in preventing these deficiencies by providing essential nutrients that may be lacking in their diet. Regular supplementation can help safeguard against potential health problems and ensure skinks lead healthy lives.
Adequate hydration is essential for the overall well-being of skinks. Water plays a vital role in various bodily functions, including digestion, temperature regulation, and waste elimination. Maintaining proper hydration levels is key to preventing dehydration and supporting optimal physiological functions. Skinks obtain water through various sources, including direct consumption and environmental moisture. Owners can promote hydration by offering a shallow water dish within the enclosure or misting the habitat to create a humid environment. These methods help skinks access water easily and stay hydrated.
Recommended Supplements for Skink Health
Calcium and Vitamin D3
Calcium and vitamin D3 are essential for proper bone development and maintenance in skinks. These supplements help prevent metabolic bone diseases and ensure skeletal health. Regular supplementation with calcium and vitamin D3 is vital for the longevity and well-being of skinks.
Multivitamins
Multivitamins are a convenient way to provide a comprehensive range of essential nutrients to skinks. These supplements bolster the immune system, aid in growth, and support overall health. Including multivitamins in the skink's diet can help address any nutritional gaps and promote vitality.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Omega-3 fatty acids play a key role in maintaining skin health and reducing inflammation in skinks. These supplements support skin integrity, improve immune function, and have anti-inflammatory properties. By incorporating omega-3 fatty acids into the skink's diet, owners can enhance skin health and overall well-being.
Avoiding Feeding Pitfalls
One of the key aspects of proper pet care is ensuring that your furry friend is fed the right amount of food. Overfeeding can lead to obesity and a host of health problems, while underfeeding can result in malnutrition and stunted growth. It's essential to follow feeding guidelines provided by your veterinarian or pet nutritionist. Remember, factors such as age, breed, activity level, and health conditions can all impact your pet's nutritional requirements. Regularly monitor your pet's weight and body condition to adjust their food intake accordingly.
Just like humans, pets benefit from a varied diet. While commercial pet foods provide essential nutrients, supplementing your pet's diet with fresh fruits, vegetables, and occasional treats can offer… Texas. significant cover and abundant basking sites. piles, stumps, logs, rocky outcrops, loose bark, and abandoned buildings. regions, commonly called ecotone areas. among driftwood piles on the sandy beaches of the Great Lakes (Harding 1997). distribution, shelter, and other requirements. to tail. disappearing in older males. (Harding 1997). before the wedge-shaped head. toes and claws. white or yellow stripes on a black background. 1956). the middle of may and july, at least one month after mating. bark, a rock, or an abandoned rodent burrow (Harding 1997). nest sites in large, moderately decayed logs. in nest selection. than in adjacent areas. with nests located deeper in a soil cavity at dry sites. not limited, a significant amount of aggregation occurs (Hecnar 1994). Absorption of water from the soil leads to increased egg size. temperature (Fitch 1956). defensive behavior against smaller predators. hatching when hatchlings leave the nest. predators. moisture. loss from the eggs. warm the eggs with their body heat. protected all of the time. Adult male five-lined skinks exhibit complex courtship and aggressive behavior. areas against other males. of gender (Harding 1997). Vitt 1985). approaching them from the side. copulation by inserting one of the two hemipenes into the female's cloaca. egg mortality. with the body placed beside, over, through, or in a coil around the eggs. position varies according to soil moisture. moisture levels potentially reducing transpirational loss of the eggs. at all times (Hecnar 1994). maintain humidity. Five-lined skinks also exhibit antipredation behavior. cats, skinks may disconnect their entire tail or a small segment. termites, grasshoppers, caterpillars, beetles, and beetle larvae. . . Five-lined skinks are quick to escape and take refuge in crevices. with a predator, skinks may disconnect their entire tail or a small segment. for the skink to run away. They re-grow their tails over time. populations in parts of its range. multiple seasons (or other periods hospitable to reproduction). active during the day, 2. Cooper, W., L. Vitt.. 1985. Responses of skinks, E. fasciatus and E. Fitch, H. 1956. Life history and ecology of the five-lined skink, Eumeces fasciatus. Pp. . Harding, J. . Hecnar, S. 1994. Vitt, L., W. Cooper.. 1986. Skink reproduction and sexual dimorphism: Eumeces fasciatus in S.E. with notes on E.
Behavior and Reproduction
Fertilization in the American five-lined skink is internal, with eggs laid by the female between the middle of May and July, at least one month after mating. Males will mate with multiple females. The mating season begins in May. The female Plestiodon will lay its eggs in June, and four to six weeks after the incubation, the young hatch. Females lay fifteen to eighteen eggs in a small cavity cleared beneath a rotting log, stump, board, loose bark, a rock, or an abandoned rodent burrow. Females prefer secluded nest sites in large, moderately decayed logs. Soil moisture is also an important factor in nest selection. Females often place nests in regions where soil moisture is higher than in adjacent areas. Vertical position of the nest also varies with moisture, with nests located deeper in a soil cavity at dry sites.
The parchment-like eggs of the American five-lined skink, similar to many other reptiles, are thin and easily punctured. Freshly laid eggs range from spherical to oval in shape averaging 1.3 cm (0.51 in) in length. Absorption of water from the soil leads to increased egg size. Egg coloration also changes over time, from white to mottled tan, after contact with the nest burrow. The incubation period ranges from 24 to 55 days, and varies due to fluctuations in temperature. Females typically brood their eggs during this time, exhibiting defensive behavior against smaller predators. Parental care ends a day or two after hatching when hatchlings leave the nest.
Adult male American five-lined skinks exhibit complex courtship and aggressive behavior. Although males tolerate juveniles and females in their territories, they actively defend these areas against other males. It has been proposed that one of the functions of their blue tails is intraspecific communication with the purpose of preventing attacks by more aggressive males because the blue tail signifies that they are juveniles or females. Juvenile five-lined skinks show aggressive behavior to other juveniles but only when they are within one body length of each other.
Vomeronasal analysis of chemical cues and recognition of sex-specific visual stimuli, including tail and body coloration, aid in the identification of sex. Evidence suggests that males may rely more on contact pheromones than volatile airborne molecules in the identification of conspecifics. Courting males grasp the necks of receptive females in their jaws after approaching them from the side. Using the tail to align cloacal openings, males initiate copulation by inserting one of the two hemipenes into the female's cloaca.
Female American five-lined skinks demonstrate high levels of parental care which reduces egg mortality. Females exhibit several brooding positions of variant contact levels with the body placed beside, over, through, or in a coil around the eggs. Brooding position varies according to soil moisture. Maternal body contact increases at lower moisture levels potentially reducing the transpirational loss of the eggs. In communal nests, females may alternate foraging and guarding of the nests, leaving eggs protected at all times. Females may also urinate in the nests and turn eggs to maintain humidity. In addition, females transfer heat from basking through body contact.
Antipredation Behavior
American five-lined skinks also exhibit antipredation behavior. In evasion of various predators including snakes, crows, hawks, shrews, moles, opossums, skunks, raccoons, and domestic cats, skinks may disconnect their entire tail or a small segment. It is thought that the bright blue color attracts predators to the expendable tail. Skinks run to shelter to escape their death as the disconnected tail continues to twitch.
Conservation Status
The Great Lakes - St. Lawrence population of P. fasciatus is listed as "special concern" in Ontario and Canada by COSSARO and COSEWIC. It is illegal to remove any of the three species of skinks found in Canada from their habitats. Skinks are at the extreme edge of their habitat range in Canada, which makes it an area of special interest to ecologists, as extreme conditions place unique evolutionary pressures upon species.
The American five-lined skink has split into two phylogenetically-distinct populations in this edge habitat; the Carolinian population, also present in the United States, ends around Point Pelee National Park in southern Ontario. The Carolinian population is listed as "endangered" in Ontario and Canada by COSSARO, COSEWIC.