Five Lined Skink
Plestiodon fasciatus
The five-lined skink is Ontario’s only native species of lizard.
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Two Types
Two populations of the five-lined skink occur in its Ontario range: one, the Great Lakes–St. Lawrence population, occurs along the eastern shore of Georgian Bay and the southern portion of the Canadian Shield into eastern Ontario, and the other, the Carolinian population, occurs in several spots in southwestern Ontario.
Habitat
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The common five-lined skink is named for the five yellowish-white stripes that run along the length of its body. Juvenile common five-lined skinks have conspicuous bright blue tails, but this colour fades with age. Adult total length: 12.5 - 21.5 cm.
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During the breeding season, the chin of the male common five-lined skink turns orange. |
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Male and Female Skinks
Male during mating season
Female with Clutch
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Female with babies
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Parental care ends a day or two after hatching when hatchlings leave the nest. Young five-lined skinks, with a potential life span of up to six years, attain sexual maturity and begin reproducing within two to three years of hatching.
Adaptations
The tail of the common five-lined skink can break off during an attack to distract the predator and allow the skink to escape.
Language Arts
Based on the above information you have just read, do you think the skink is a good choice for the animal national symbol of Daviesia. Use the APE Strategy to answer this question.