Lizard Season

The sun is high in the sky and it is warming up the dirt. There is an animal in this picture. Can you find it? I will give some hints to help you. It is long and skinny, and it has stripes going down its body.


How about now? You saw it?! Good! This animal is kind of lizard called a Skink. Why do you think it survives well in this habitat? Skinks cannot produce their own heat, so they have to live in warm places. They can live here, but not in extremely cold places. During the winter, lizards hibernate. The Skink's colors make it difficult to see. The Skink has another trick for survival.

When a predator grabs a Skink's tail, the tail simply falls off! The separated tail CONTINUES TO WIGGLE even though it is off of the lizard. This confuses the predator for a moment. The main body of the Skink is still very much alive, and runs towards shelter. After some times passes, the Skink will grow a new tail. Here is a different species of lizard which has lost its tail.

The lizard has scaly plates over its body. These protect it as it crawls over rocks and bushes. It has eyes on the sides of its head so it can see predators from both sides. Lizards also survive well because they are soooo fast! I couldn't believe it when this Skink let me approach it to take a picture. Usually they bolt! Sometimes you will see a flash of blue going into the bushes. Baby Skinks have beautiful turquoise blue tails.

Here is a different lizard. It is called a Western Fence Lizard. Like the Skink, it lays eggs. It is shorter and stockier than a Skink. Those tiny claws are just right for climbing around on rocks. This Western Fence Lizard and the Skink eat small insects. If you see a Western Fence Lizard doing "push ups," you know it is trying to look threatening to another male lizard, or a larger predator.


Skinks and Western Fence Lizards are plentiful during this time of year. With an adult, look for them on fences, in empty lots, and under big weeds. Look at all the different colors and patterns on their scales.


Did you find this useful? If so, you can send a "tip" to my PAYPAL.COM account. My email address is kathomatho@yahoo.com. I will donate 10% of your tip to The Orange County Zoo.