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Five-Lined Skink
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Five-Lined Skink

Place of Origin and Range These skinks are common inhabitants of wooded areas of the south eastern United States.
Description As their common name suggests, these skinks have five characteristic narrow stripes along their bodies that become lighter with age. The middle stripe tends to be narrower than the others, and the dark areas between stripes are black in young skinks but become brown with age.
Morph Patterns Available Yes
Adult Size Can grow up to 12 in ( 30 cm)
Accommodation Although they do occur in urban areas, their preferred habitat is humid forest areas with abundant leaf litter, especially oak forests. They are very active and predatory lizards, requiring a large amount of space to run. They prefer high temperatures, up to 105–110 °F (41–43 °C) at their basking spot and 80 °F (27 °C) elsewhere in their habitat during the day. Grasses and lots of things to climb on.
Lifespan Can live 10+ years
Feeding / Diet Like other skinks of the genus Plestiodon, they feed primarily on insects, preferring larger prey such as grasshoppers.
Breeding These skinks are oviparous; the clutch size varies from 6 to 12, with the number of eggs diminishing with higher latitudes. The female broods the eggs and protects them from predators, including other skinks. The hatchlings appear about one month after the eggs have been laid in early summer.
Other Considerations Young five-lined skinks have a bright blue or purplish tail, especially towards the tip. Also, stripes become a bright reddish orange towards the head. Juvenile colouration may persist into adulthood, giving the head of the animal an altogether orange-brown appearance.
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