![]() The Pacific blue tailed skink is the smaller blue tailed skink species, growing as long as 6 inches. There are several color morphs of blue tailed skinks, including a variation with a bright green tail, and a dark-colored variation. The American blue tailed skink’s bright blue tail changes color to grayish brown when the lizard becomes sexually mature. Pacific blue tailed skinks have separate horizontal stripes across the entire length of their bodies, while American blue tailed skinks have horizontal stripes that merge together at the back of their heads. The lizards both have dark gray to brown or black bodies with light-colored stripes that run from snout to tail. Skinks can intentionally lose and regrow their tails, so if a predator catches them by the tail, they can escape and survive. The brightly colored tail is designed to attract a predator’s attention. The American blue tailed skink and the Pacific blue tailed skink have similar appearances and are both named for their bright blue tails. The lizards enjoy basking on logs and piles of brush. Blue tailed skinks are semi-arboreal and climb trees to hide from predators. The lizards are found in trees, on logs, under leaves, on the ground, and in brush piles. The Pacific blue tailed skink is endemic to Australia’s Christmas Island and is now found in areas across Indonesia, New Guinea, Malaysia, the Philippines, and the Pacific Islands.īoth skink species live in areas of thick forest and rocky terrain. The American blue tailed skink is found across the Eastern United States, from Missouri to Florida, and parts of South-Eastern Canada. Choosing and Buying a Blue Tailed Skink Blue Tailed Skink Overview Common name Blue tailed skink, blue tail skink, five-lined skink Scientific name Emoia caeruleocauda (Pacific blue tailed skink), Plestiodon fasciatus (American blue tailed skink) Natural habitat Woodland and urban areas in Eastern United States, Australia, New Guinea, Malaysia, the Philippines, the Pacific Islands, and Indonesia Adult size 6–8.5 inches Average lifespan 6–10 years Diet Omnivore Housing Minimum 20 gallons per skink, 72–82☏ air temperature, 60%–80% humidity Experience Beginner–intermediate Origin.Some lizards are known to break off their own tails and eat them when food is scarce. When in a pinch, Skinks will literally ‘drop tail and run.’ They can detach their tail, which will whip and wiggle violently, giving the lizard a chance to escape. Juveniles are more vivid than adults and sport bright blue tails that fade with age to grey in adulthood. They belong to a special group of blue tongue lizards with smooth, glossy scales, and ‘racing’ stripes on its side (these lizards are fast and very agile). The lizards forage and hunt through leaf litter, and are most active at night and in the early morning. Western skinks consume a wide variety of invertebrates and arthropods including beetles, grasshoppers, sow bugs, moths, flies, spiders, and earthworms. Their region is fairly large and includes Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Idaho, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, Arizona, Missouri, and portions of Texas and California. They avoid heavy brush and dense forests but can be found in coniferous woodlands and forests, and grasslands to desert scrubs. Western skinks are good burrowers and may constructs moist burrows several times its own body length. They favor rocky areas, such as riparian zones, with some moisture. Western skinks can often be found basking themselves on a warm rock in a wide variety of habitats. Oregon has a variety of lizards, the most common of them being Western Skinks. Western skinks are just one of more than 2,500 lizard species in the world. Did some of those old monster movies enlarged this modest five-inch lizard to fight Godzilla? Maybe they were hanging out in the garden. Western Skink (Courtesy of Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife)
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