There are over 1,000 species of skinks worldwide, and the little brown skink (Scincella lateralis), also known as the ground skink, is a small reptile found throughout much of the eastern half of the United States and into northern Mexico. These small lizards are sometimes mistaken for snakes due to their short necks and legs, which give them a serpent-like movement. This article delves into the dietary habits of the little brown skink, both in the wild and in captivity, and also touches on other aspects of its biology and ecology.
General Dietary Habits of Skinks
Skinks are generally omnivorous, consuming a variety of insects, mollusks, small mammals, and fruits. However, the majority of skinks primarily eat insects. Given that skinks are not particularly well-adapted to hunting insects, their diet is somewhat flexible.
The Little Brown Skink: A Closer Look
The little brown skink is one of the smallest reptiles in North America, with a total length of only 3 to 5.5 inches (7.5 to 14.5 cm) and a body mass of 1 to 2 grams. Its back is typically a coppery brown color with a white or yellow underside, and it has dark coloration running laterally from its eyes to its tail. This skink can be distinguished from other lizards in its region by its small size, smooth overlapping scales, small fore- and hind limbs relative to its body, and a small transparent disc in its eyelid.
Habitat and Distribution
The little brown skink is found throughout much of the Eastern United States, from New Jersey, Ohio, and Kansas south to Texas and Florida, as well as into northern Mexico. It is one of the most abundant skinks living in southeastern America. The little brown skink lives in a variety of habitats, including deciduous or mixed deciduous/coniferous forests, hedgerows, palmetto hammocks, and the edges of streams and ponds. It requires a deep substrate, such as leaf litter.
Diet in the Wild
Little Brown Skinks are predators of small, terrestrial invertebrate prey. The diet of the little brown skink consists of small insects, spiders, and other arthropods, such as isopods, millipedes, and centipedes. They usually live on the forest floor or actively forage there. The active foraging of a ground skink is assisted by their ability to discriminate prey chemicals and "smells" by tongue-flicking. This is one of their two main methods of locating prey: visual and chemical senses. The little brown skink uses its sense of smell to find prey, which may be found underground.
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Hunting Strategies
As carnivores, skinks spend a fair amount of their time hunting for food. They are opportunistic hunters, meaning they eat prey they come across. Skinks use their sense of smell to find prey by flicking their tongue and using the chemical cues they gather to determine what is nearby. They also detect vibrations in the ground like many other reptiles.
Competition for Food
Bearing in mind that skinks eat insects, fruit, small lizards, and some small mammals, it should come as no surprise that they compete with other animals for food. In some cases, skinks will compete with other skinks for food, but this typically occurs among members of the same species instead of different species that inhabit the same area. Insectivore birds often compete with skinks for food.
Predators of the Little Brown Skink
Ground skinks are, in turn, preyed upon by snakes such as the eastern racer, ringneck snake, scarlet kingsnake, and pygmy rattlesnake (Sistrurus miliarius). Predatory birds of woodland habitats, such as the barred owl and the red-shouldered hawk, also feed upon ground skinks. Even the eastern bluebird has been observed feeding on this tiny lizard.
Diet in Captivity
Pet skinks typically eat a mix of insects, fruits, and commercial foods. One of the issues that pet owners run into with skinks is that it can be hard to replicate their wild diet in captivity. These are all foods that many species of skinks can eat when they’re being kept as pets. However, it is necessary to feed skinks food that they would encounter in the wild. Depending on the species, pet owners must consider their dietary needs and the types of foods they prefer. Adult skinks should have a diet consisting of 50% insects such as mealworms and crickets and 50% leafy greens and soft vegetables.
Other Interesting Facts
- Little brown skinks are ground-dwellers with dark brown or black stripes and speckling along the sides.
- They make telltale brief, furtive crunching sounds within dry leaves as they make their getaway.
- The tails of little brown skinks are extremely fragile, breaking very easily. This is an effective predator escape mechanism, and the lost tails regenerate so well that they look very much like the original tail.
- When approached, they usually dive into the leaves, often leaving the tail tip exposed and moving as a distraction.
- Little brown skinks can be active any month of the year if temperatures are warm enough. Most of their seasonal activity occurs from April through October.
- Mating occurs during spring. Individual females deposit two or more clutches varying in size from one to four eggs during May, June, July, and August.
Reproduction and Life Cycle
As soon as ground skinks emerge from hibernation, mating season begins. Ground skinks breed between April and July. During their breeding season, males are more aggressive towards other males. Males use visual and chemical stimuli to hunt their prey. Males will depart and find other females to mate with after mating.
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Sexually mature S. lateralis females lay small clutches of 1-6 (usually 2-3) eggs in moist soil, rotting logs, falling logs, or under rocks. Eggs are laid during the summer, March through August in the Southern United States. There may be more than one clutch per year. Eggs hatch in one to two months, and young are sexually mature at one year of age.
Females deposit eggs in soft soil exposed to sun and often these nesting sites are limited in the shaded habitats in which the lizards live. Hatchlings, which are small (less than one inch in snout to vent length) appear in July, August, and September. These small lizards feed on tiny insects, spiders, millipedes, and earthworms.
Conservation Status
The little brown skink is a widespread and common species in most of its range.
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