American dwarf skink
| American dwarf skink | ||||||||||||
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American dwarf skink ( Scincella lateralis ) |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Scincella lateralis | ||||||||||||
| ( Say , 1823) |
The American dwarf skink ( Scincella lateralis ) is a smaller member of the skink family with a body length of 8 to 13 centimeters .
Appearance
As a special feature, the animals have a transparent lower eyelid so that they can keep an eye on their surroundings even when digging holes. The color is a metallic brown. The limbs are slender, elongated and black in color. The lower abdomen is white or yellowish and has long, thick, dark stripes on both sides of the body. Another special feature of the animals is a long black stripe on the side of their body.
Way of life
This species lives on the ground of wet forests and grasslands, where it hunts for spiders and other insects. The animals are most active in damp weather. They dig holes or lie under piles of leaves to hide from enemies.
Reproduction
During the breeding season between April and August, the female lays between one and seven eggs every 4 to 5 weeks. The embryos are very well developed when they are deposited. The parent animals do not provide any brood care.
distribution
The American dwarf kink occurs in the wet forests and the grasslands of the east coast of the United States from New Jersey to Florida and west to Nebraska and Texas .
Hazards and protective measures
The IUCN classifies this species as Least Concern because of its widespread distribution and its occurrence in protected areas .
Source
Individual evidence
- ^ AE Greer: The generic relationships of the scincid lizard genus Leiolopisma and its relatives. In: Australian Journal of Zoology. 31, 1974, pp. 1-67.
literature
- Philip Whitfield (ed.): The great world empire of the animals. Translated from the English by Hildegard Höhr, Theo Kierdorf. Planet Media Verlag, Zug 1992, ISBN 3-8247-8614-1 , pp. 432-433.
- Thomas Say in E. James: Account of an expedition from Pittsburgh to the Rocky Mountains, performed in the years 1819, 1820, by order of the Hon. JC Calhoun, Secretary of War, under the command of Major Stephen H. Long. Vol. 2., HC Carey & I. Lea, Philadelphia 1823.
Web links
- Scincella lateralis inthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . 2 . Listed by: Hammerson, GA, 2007. Retrieved January 29, 2014.
- Scincella lateralis in The Reptile Database