Five Lined Skink Lizard Mini Documentary

Southeastern Five-lined Skink! I'd like to introduce you to a sweet little lizard friend of mine – a Southeastern five-lined Skink – a lizard that lives underneath my studio/workshop in Florida and scurries about on the patio.
- Filmed with OM SYSTEM Olympus OM-1 Mark II on Amazon at: https://amzn.to/3KxFio4 and OM System M.Zuiko ED 150-600mm f/5.0-6.3 Lens at https://amzn.to/3X5jlE2
Commission may be Earned through affiliate links.

My skink particularly enjoys sitting on the black welcome mat to warm up on cooler days, but as the heat of summer sets in will spend more time in the moist coolness underneath the foundation of the studio where I'm sure there are all sorts of creepy crawly things to eat.

The southeastern five-lined skink is found throughout Florida in woods, grassy areas, and barrier islands. It is a lizard with a thick neck, short legs and a smooth - streamlined appearance that is somewhat snake-like. They are most active during the day and feed on insects, spiders, snails, other lizards, small amphibians and earthworms.

They are brownish with five light stripes extending from the nose to the tail. Adults skinks have a redish-brown head with color becoming drabber towards the tail and sometimes faint lines barely visible in places.
Juveniles have five stripes on a black background and color changes from yellow at the head to blue at the tail.

Adults reach a length of 8 to 9” and usually lose the blue coloring on the tail seen in juveniles. My skink is about 9 inches long which is about as big as they get and has been around for awhile.

During the spring breeding season, males have red orange jaws and cheeks and I think this is a male in that state filmed in April.
Southeastern five-lined skinks are most often found on the ground or on and around man-made structures - though they sometimes climb on tree trunks - theyare less arboreal (tree dwelling) than other skinks.


Although sometimes seen in the open along trails in woods catching some sun, these lizards are most often found beneath logs or under tree bark away from developed areas.

When pursued they usually run for the nearest tree or log and can be quite difficult to capture. Like many lizards, these skinks will break off their tails when restrained, distracting the predator and allowing the lizard to escape.
Screech owls have a preference for catching lizards at night and feral Cats and cats let out are a major threat to all of Florida’s native lizards as well as small mammals and birds -
I know firsthand, that rather than preferring birds, the feral cat that lives behind my backyard loves the meaty - no waste - meals that easy to catch and easy to eat lizards make.

Fortunately, the easy to catch invasive brown anole lizards are their primary targets.

Filmed with OM SYSTEM Olympus OM-1 Mark II on Amazon at: https://amzn.to/2QftDPd and OM System M.Zuiko Digital ED 150-600mm f/5.0-6.3 Lens at https://amzn.to/3X5jlE2
Commission may be Earned through affiliate links.
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