Prairie Skink

Plestiodon septentrionalis

The Prairie Skink is a small, colorful lizard that loves to bask in the sun. With its shiny scales and long tail, it can be found darting through grass and hiding under rocks.

Lebensraum: Grasslands

Aussehen

The Prairie Skink is a slender lizard with a shiny, smooth body. Adults are typically tan to olive-brown with dark stripes running down their sides. Young skinks stand out with bright blue tails, which fade as they grow older.

ReichAnimaliaStammChordataKlasseSquamataOrdnungLacertiliaFamilieScincidaeGattungPlestiodon

Prairie Skink

Kategorie

Reptilien

Seltenheit

Common

Gefahr

1/5 · Sehr gering

Snaps

Mach den ersten Snap!

Interessante Fakten

Baby prairie skinks are born with dazzling blue tails, which are a flashy warning to predators.

Mama skinks often guard their eggs, cleaning them and even eating spoiled ones!

Prairie Skinks prefer sunny spots and often hide under rocks or logs to stay safe.

These amazing lizards hibernate underground during winter to survive the cold temperatures.

Besondere Fähigkeiten

Prairie Skinks can drop their wriggling blue tail if a predator grabs it, because this distraction helps them escape to safety.

Prairie Skinks have dark stripes that help them blend into tall grasses and shadows, making it hard for predators to spot them.

Prairie Skinks can bask in the sun to warm their bodies for energy, which helps them move quickly to hunt or flee danger.

Maße und Details

Länge: 13-22 cm
Gewicht: 0.005-0.02 kg
Lebenserwartung: 5-10 Jahre
Top Speed: 10 km/h
Gelegegröße: 5-18
Brutzeit: 30-50 Tage

Ernährung und Fütterung

Prairie Skinks mostly munch on insects and other tiny creatures they find in their habitat.

Hauptnahrung

Crickets
Grasshoppers
Beetles
Spiders
Small Moths

Nahrungssuche

Foraging

Ökologische Zusammenhänge

hunts

Fall Field Cricket

Gryllus pennsylvanicus

A common and nutritious insect that Prairie Skinks hunt.

eaten by

Common Garter Snake

Thamnophis sirtalis

A frequent snake predator that hunts skinks in their habitat.

eaten by

Red-tailed Hawk

Buteo jamaicensis

Large birds of prey like hawks often prey on small lizards.

Merkmale

Farbenfroh

Farbenfroh beschreibt Organismen oder Objekte, die eine große Vielfalt an leuchtenden und deutlich erkennbaren Farben aufweisen.

Grasland

Grasland-Lebensräume sind terrestrische Biome, die von Gräsern und krautigen Pflanzen dominiert werden und einer Vielzahl von Weidetieren als Lebensraum dienen.