Broad-headed Skink
Encyclopedia
The Broad-headed Skink is — together with the Great Plains Skink
— the largest of the Eumeces
-skinks, growing to a total length of 15 centimetres (5.9 in) to nearly 43 centimetres (16.9 in).
. Juveniles are dark brown or black and also striped and have blue tails.
These skinks are the most arboreal of the North American Eumeces. Although they do occur in urban areas, their preferred habitat are humid forest areas with abundant leaf litter, especially oak forests. They forage
on the ground, but also easily and often climb trees for shelter or sleep or searching for food.
Females typically are larger than males. The larger the female, the more eggs she will lay. Males thus often try to mate with the largest female they can find, and they sometimes in engage severe fights with other males over access to a female. The female lays between 8 and 22 eggs, which she guards and protects until they hatch in June or July. The hatchling
s have a total length of 6 centimetres (2.4 in) to 8 centimetres (3.1 in). Adult broad-headed skinks can grow to about 13 inches in length.
, from the East Coast to Kansas
and eastern Texas
and from Ohio
to the Gulf Coast.
Great Plains Skink
The Great Plains Skink is — together with the Broad-headed Skink — the largest skink of the genus Eumeces...
— the largest of the Eumeces
Eumeces
The genus Eumeces skinks comprises four African to Middle-Eastern species.-Systematics:Two taxonomic revisions have been made in the 19th century regarding genus Eumeces. They both resulted in similar results; the genus is paraphyletic and must be sliced up into several different genera...
-skinks, growing to a total length of 15 centimetres (5.9 in) to nearly 43 centimetres (16.9 in).
Description
The broadhead skink gets its name from the wide jaws, giving the head a triangular appearance. Adult males are brown or olive brown in color and have bright orange heads during the mating season in spring. Females have five light stripes running down the back and the tail, similar to the Five-lined SkinkFive-lined Skink
The Five-lined Skink is one of the most common lizards in the eastern U.S. and one of the five species of lizards in Canada...
. Juveniles are dark brown or black and also striped and have blue tails.
These skinks are the most arboreal of the North American Eumeces. Although they do occur in urban areas, their preferred habitat are humid forest areas with abundant leaf litter, especially oak forests. They forage
Forage
Forage is plant material eaten by grazing livestock.Historically the term forage has meant only plants eaten by the animals directly as pasture, crop residue, or immature cereal crops, but it is also used more loosely to include similar plants cut for fodder and carried to the animals, especially...
on the ground, but also easily and often climb trees for shelter or sleep or searching for food.
Females typically are larger than males. The larger the female, the more eggs she will lay. Males thus often try to mate with the largest female they can find, and they sometimes in engage severe fights with other males over access to a female. The female lays between 8 and 22 eggs, which she guards and protects until they hatch in June or July. The hatchling
Hatchling
In oviparous biology, a hatchling is the newborn of animals that develop and emerge from within hard-shell eggs. The offspring of birds are often hatched naked and with their eyes closed. The hatchling relies totally on its parents for feeding and warmth. Hatchlings precede nestlings in the chick's...
s have a total length of 6 centimetres (2.4 in) to 8 centimetres (3.1 in). Adult broad-headed skinks can grow to about 13 inches in length.
Distribution
Broad-headed skinks are widely distributed in the south-eastern states of the U.S.United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, from the East Coast to Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
and eastern Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
and from Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
to the Gulf Coast.
Non Venomous
These skinks (along with the similar Eumeces fasciatus) are sometimes wrongly thought to be venomous. Broad-headed skinks are non venomous.External links
- The Broad-headed Skink information sheet from University of GeorgiaUniversity of GeorgiaThe University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States...
- Eumeces laticeps at CalPhotos