Mole skink

Description

Plestiodon egregius, the mole skink, is a species of small lizard endemic to the Southeastern United States. The first three subspecies listed above are protected, and the bluetail mole skink is classified as a federally-threatened species since 1987. The major threats to all three subspecies are habitat destruction due to residential, commercial, and agricultural development and over-collection by herpetological enthusiasts. The remaining two subspecies are rather common, though elusive. The northern mole skink also occurs in southern Alabama and Georgia. Mole skinks are found in sandhills and scrub. They often like to be buried underground and especially like to bask in the upper layers of Southeastern pocket gopher mounds. Mole skinks reach sexual maturity after one year. They mate in winter; the female lays three to seven eggs in spring in a shallow nest cavity less than 30 cm (12 in) below the surface. The eggs incubate for 31 to 51 days, during which time the female tends the nest. The bluetail mole skink is a small, shiny, cylindrical lizard of a brownish color. Juveniles usually have a blue tail which makes up slightly more than half of the animal's total length. Regenerated tails and the tails of older individuals are typically pinkish. The legs are somewhat reduced in size and are used only during surface locomotion, not when the animal "swims" through the sand (Christman 1992). During the breeding season, males develop a colorful orange pattern on their sides It shares habitat with the sand skink, which is also endangered, but does not compete with it: whereas the sand skink feeds underground, the bluetail mole skink hunts on the surface. When threatened, it plays presents its tail and if refused, plays dead. Like other mole skinks, it feeds primarily on cockroaches, spiders, and crickets. The bluetail mole skink is a federally-threatened species.