![]() Yellow, or bluish, narrow longitudinal stripes on a dark-brown body origin of all light Scales on tail rectangular, not granular.Ĭoloration and Pattern: Dorsum with 6 cream, white, Rostral separated from frontonasal by paired nasal scales mental single postmental 1 įemoral pores 23-34 (ave. (not counting ventral plates) 82-103 (ave. = 32.7 ± 1.4, n = 105) granular scales around midbody Nonoverlapping ventral scales (= plates) rectangular and in 8 longitudinal rows ventral Scutellation: Dorsal scales granular, not shiny, and SVL is 76 mm (3.0 inches) and maximum total length is 247 mm (9.7 inches). Total length of 241 mm (9.5 inches) (Conant and Collins, 1991). Snout reaching a maximum snout-vent length (SVL) of 75 mm (3.0 inches) and a Vitt, Biology of Whiptail Lizards ,ĭescription: A moderate-sized lizard with a pointed Range and relegated the name to junior synonym status. That the variation described by Hoffman for the new subspecies was found in other parts of the pauciporus (Hoffman, 1957b) because oligoporus was already in use. sexlineatus oligoporus based on specimens heĬollected from Alleghany County, Virginia, and elsewhere, but had to change the name to A. Dumeril and Bibron (1839) first used the genus Cnemidophorus for this Him by Alexander Garden from "Carolina." Schmidt (1953) restricted the type locality toĬharleston, South Carolina. ![]() (Still photo and video by Gary Nafis.Systematics: Described originally as LacertaĦ-lineata (= sex- lineata) by Carolus Linnaeus in 1766, based on a specimen sent to This individual might have been attacked recently, as its blue tail is missing. In the video below, an adult skink commits a little skink-on-finger violence. This particular skink’s light cream stripes are usually less than half the width of their dark brown stripes. Herpetology enthusiasts distinguish subspecies of skinks by counting and measuring their stripes and scales. Colors are intense in juveniles, but often fade into adulthood. A lost tail doesn’t set a skink back, though, as they regenerate with subsequent shedding. Blue is rare in nature, and may be more distracting than other colors. When lizards release their tails, the shed appendage wriggles about, distracting hungry predators and buying precious moments to escape. The brightness of this skink’s tail may be an adaptation. They’re often gone before you know it.Īlternating copper, black and cream racing stripes run the length of the body, extending well into brilliant blue tails. Their lithe little bodies yield fast, serpentine movements. ![]() Measuring a little over the length of a pencil, and not much wider, Skilton’s skinks are no exception. Skinks are characterized by their slender, snakelike bodies and tiny appendages. Mind your fingers when lizard hunting-these guys bite (see video below). But they spend most of their time burrowing under wood scraps. You may see them flittering through leaf litter in search of sow bugs and spiders. But they’re more than just the only skink in town-their range extends along most of the California coast, ending just north of where things become too dry in Southern California. Skilton’s skinks, a subspecies of the Western Skink, are the only skinks you’re likely to find in Santa Cruz County. It’s Pleistodon skiltonianus skiltonianus, commonly known as Skilton’s Skink. First thought: rattlesnake? A flash of electric blue, just within your peripheral, is all the more confusing. You’re walking along the tranquil trails of a pristine state park, deciding whether to partake of a Clif bar or a banana, when it happens.
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