turtles lizards snakes
frogs
Reptiles of the United States  
  Home Email Site map
A Guide to the Reptiles &
Amphibians of the United States
Home snakes lizards Turtles turtles salamanders
Snakes of the U.S.
UDG-Banner (55K)
 



Western Red-Tailed Skink Range Map






Western Red-Tailed Skink Video




Western Red-Tailed Skink Juvenile

Home »» Lizards »» Scincidae (Skinks) »» Gilbert's Skinks »» Western Red-Tailed Skink (Plestiodon gilberti rubricaudatus)


Western Red-Tailed Skink (Plestiodon gilberti rubricaudatus)Species of Least Concern





Description: The Western Red-tailed Skink is a heavy-bodied lizard with smooth scales, short limbs, and a long tail that can be twice the length of the body. Adults are brown, olive, gray or green and may have dark spots. Adult males have a larger head than females, and the head is often red or orange during the breeding season. Juveniles have light stripes along each side of the body and a blue tail.


Habitat: These skinks can be found in a wide variety of habitats including grasslands, desert shrub, and pinyon-juniper stands. They prefer to be near water and avoid areas with dense vegetation.


Range: Found from the foothills and middle elevations of the southern Sierra Nevada Mountains and South Coast ranges, south along the Transverse and Peninsular ranges into Baja California. Isolated populations occur east of the Sierra Nevadas, including Deep Springs and Saline Valleys, and in several desert mountain ranges, including the Kingston, Clark, and Providence Mountains.


Found in these States: AZ | CA | NV


Diet: Primarily eats a variety of small ground-dwelling invertebrates, but as cannibalism has been reported, small vertebrates are probably occasionally consumed.


Reproduction: Adult Gilbert Skinks become reproductive in their second year of age. Not much is known about the timing of the breeding season. It varies based on location and elevation and local conditions. Mating probably occurs in late spring through early summer, most likely from April to June. Females lay a single clutch of eggs per year in summer, typically from June to August, containing from 3 to 9 eggs. The eggs are buried in loose moist soil, often under flat stones or in rotting logs. Females are thought to stay with the eggs to guard them as female Western Skinks do. Maternal care such as this is rare in lizards. Eggs probably hatch in late Summer, but hatchlings have also been observed as early as May.


Status: Listed as Least Concern in view of its wide distribution, tolerance of a broad range of habitats, presumed large population, and because it is unlikely to be declining fast enough to qualify for listing in a more threatened category.


Taxonomy:

»» Kingdom: Animalia - Animals
   »» Phylum: Chordata - Chordates
     »» Subphylum: Vertebrata - Vertebrates
       »» Class: Reptilia - Reptiles
         »» Order: Squamata - Lizards
           »» Family: Scincidae - Skinks
             »» Genus: Plestiodon
               »» Species: Plestiodon gilberti - Gilbert's Skink
                 »» Subspecies: Plestiodon gilberti rubricaudatus - Western Red-Tailed Skink

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Plestiodon gilberti", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0. Content may have been omitted from the original, but no content has been changed or extended.

 

 

 

 


Recommended Books at Amazon.com


Handbook of Lizards: Lizards of the United States and of Canada     Lizards of the World: A Guide to Every Family     Texas Lizards: A Field Guide     National Geographic Readers: Lizards



DISCLAIMER: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated websites.

 

 
 

Disclaimer: ITIS taxonomy is based on the latest scientific consensus available, and is provided as a general reference source for interested parties. However, it is not a legal authority for statutory or regulatory purposes. While every effort has been made to provide the most reliable and up-to-date information available, ultimate legal requirements with respect to species are contained in provisions of treaties to which the United States is a party, wildlife statutes, regulations, and any applicable notices that have been published in the Federal Register. For further information on U.S. legal requirements with respect to protected taxa, please contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

 
Copyright © 2008 - Herpedia™.com