![]() … Other common names include blue-tailed skink (for juveniles) and red-headed skink (for adults). and one of the seven native species of lizards in Canada. It is one of the most common lizards in the eastern U.S. The (American) five-lined skink ( Plestiodon fasciatus) is a species of lizard endemic to North America. To come: on skinks on the “Blue Tail Fly” song and on my gay highjacking of the song, as “Blue Tailed Skink” (with skink as a portmanteau, skank + twink) - taking things far from Chris’s original child-friendly travel report. We saw pumas, red wolves, and foxes among other critters.”Īs good a photo of a blue-tailed skink as any you can find on the net. Much of their space is a zoo of local native species in generously-sized enclosures that are just fenced off bits of native habitat. “Spotted this little lizard with a bright blue tail on a fence rail at the Tallahassee Museum. American Museum Novitates:1-61.From Chris Zable on Facebook on August 3rd, a photo from her family’s holiday in Florida, with her comment: Phylogenetic relationships of whiptail lizards of the genus Cnemidophorus (Squamata: Teiidae): a test of monophyly, reevaluation of karyotypic evolution, and review of hybrid origins. Indiana Academy of Science, Indianapolis, IN. Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America. These lizards are Indiana's only representatives of the family Teiidae.Ĭonant, R. The former is found in the southwestern Indiana, while the latter is found in northwestern Indiana. sexlineata) and the Prairie Racerunner ( A. Today, two subspecies are commonly recognized in Indiana: the Eastern Six-Lined Racerunner ( A. (2002) demonstrated this genus to be paraphyletic and placed Six-Lined Racerunners in the genus Aspidoscelis. Six-Lined Racerunners were once described as members of the genus Cnemidophorus, with the Six-Lined Racerunner known as C. Glades are fire-maintained ecosystems and many of these glades occurred on private property and have since become overgrown and shaded. Six-Lined Racerunners were historically known from Floyd and Clark Counties, on scattered rocky glades but these populations may now be gone. However, they have also been found in scattered, sandy-soiled open areas in southwestern Indiana, along the Wabash River. They are most abundant in sand prairies and among the sand dunes of northwestern Indiana. ![]() Six-Lined Racerunners have a distribution unlike any other Indiana reptile or amphibian. A very quick lizard, they are named because of their ability to outrun humans attempting to capture them. These burrows also serve for hibernation. In dreary situations, they hide out in burrows under rocks or logs, some of which they dig themselves. This species’ scalation is notably different they sport many tiny dorsal scales and lack the shiny smooth appearance of skinks.Ī sun-loving lizard, the Six-Lined Racerunner can be found in drier open grassland areas. Six-Lined Racerunners are similar in appearance to both Five-Lined Skinks and Broad-Headed Skinks. Adult Six-Lined Racerunners grow to around 9 inches (20 cm) long. However, they are not as smooth-scaled as skinks and glass lizards, or as rough-scaled as fence lizards. As in some skinks, juvenile Six-Lined Racerunners have a bright blue tail that fades with age. Six-Lined racerunners get their name from the six yellow stripes that run from their head to tail. Of note in identifying this species, is that they are apt to escape by running quickly along the ground, into thickets or under rocks, as opposed to climbing trees, as do skinks and fence lizards. Racerunners are interesting lizards that occur in localized populations associated with sandy (western Indiana) or rocky (southern Indiana) substrates and open canopies.
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