Life History and Ecology of the Five-Lined Skink, Eumeces fasciatus

by Henry S. Fitch

	Date		Snout-vent length in mm.		Tail length in mm.	Weight in grams	Remarks
No. 1.	August 8,	1951	23	1⁄2	301⁄2	.25	Had just hatched when first recorded; second capture was made soon after emergence from hibernation. All three captures within a 50-foot diameter.
	April 28,	1952	39		55 + 1⁄2	1.3
	June 7,	1952	48		69 + 1	....
No. 2.	July 8,	1952	25		25 (broken stub)	.3
	April 23,	1953	42		17 + 26	....
	June 23,	1953	56		22 + 36	....
No. 3.	July 16,	1948	26	1⁄2	37	....	Caught at the same place on both occasions; in a little less than a year this female grew to small adult size.
	July 5,	1949	68		1011⁄2	....
No. 4.	August 23,	1950	36		55	.9	The interval between captures included about two months of active life, plus the hibernation period; caught at the same place on both occasions.
	May 19,	1951	46		691⁄2	1.7
No. 5.	September 2,	1950	34	1⁄2	33 (broken stub)	....	Tail broken at first capture; recaptured 40 feet from original location.
	June 12,	1951	45		48 + 3	2.0
No. 6.	July 28,	1949	36		56	....	Recaptured 75 feet from original location.
	April 21,	1950	49		83	2.5
No. 7.	August 31,	1951	38		58	....	All three captures within a 70-foot diameter.
	May 25,	1952	48		82	....
	June 30,	1952	63	1⁄2	57 + 26	....
No. 8.	August 23,	1950	36		44 (broken stub)	.7	Tail broken at first capture. Capture sites 150 feet apart.
	July 23,	1951	69		37 + 49	....
No. 9.	August 23,	1949	39		531⁄2 (regenerated)	....	This male was retarded in growth, being still well short of small adult size as its second hibernation period approached; all four captures recorded within a few yards.
	June 7,	1950	46		701⁄2 (regenerated)	2.1
	July 23,	1950	58		88 (regenerated)	3.7
	September 3,	1950	62		91 (regenerated)	4.9
No. 10.	July 31,	1949	38		23 (broken stub)	....	Capture sites 20 feet apart.
	June 17,	1950	58		43 + 36	3.6
No. 11.	August 13,	1949	40		66	....	Approximately a year after its original record this skink was recaptured 80 feet away, still short of small adult size.
	August 8,	1950	63		90 (regenerated)	5.0
No. 12.	August 19,	1949	42		40 (broken stub)	....	All three captures within a 50-foot diameter.
	June 13,	1950	58	1⁄2	58 + 28	4.1
	July 5,	1950	63		62 + 31	5.9

Many other young were not caught and marked until the growing season following their first hibernation, and were recaptured within this second growing season weeks or months after they were originally marked, and after they had made substantial growth. Those recaptured near the end of this second growing season, when they were a year old, or a little more, usually had attained small adult size or were nearing it. Selected records of these yearlings are presented below.

Table 9. Selected Records of Individual Skinks Marked as Yearlings (After Emergence From the First Hibernation) and Recaptured One or More Times the Same Year. Rapid Growth Is Shown.

	Date		Snout-vent length in mm.		Tail length in mm.	Weight in grams	Remarks
No. 1.	May 2,	1951	38		531⁄2	....	Capture sites 30 feet apart.
	September 25,	1951	62		25 + 31	....
No. 2.	May 8,	1951	39		57	....	Capture sites 150 feet apart.
	August 2,	1951	60		67 + 25	....
No. 3.	April 17,	1952	39		55	1.1	Capture sites 30 feet apart.
	June 23,	1952	57		73 (regenerated)	....
No. 4.	May 20,	1952	45		67	....	Capture sites 15 feet apart.
	May 28,	1952	47		71	....
	June 9,	1952	53		82	....
No. 5.	May 22,	1952	48	1⁄2	771⁄2	2.0	Capture sites 10 feet apart.
	July 20,	1952	63		106	5.3
No. 6.	June 11,	1950	49		49 (broken stub)	2.4	Capture sites 20 feet apart.
	September 2,	1950	63		63 + 31	4.9
No. 7.	April 14,	1950	47		72	1.9	Capture sites 50 feet apart.
	May 29,	1950	50		821⁄2	2.5
No. 8.	May 12,	1952	49		77	....	Capture sites 60 feet apart.
	June 18,	1952	61	1⁄2	98	....
No. 9.	June 4,	1950	54		89	2.8	Both captures at same site.
	August 1,	1950	64	1⁄2	101 (broken stub)	5.7
No. 10.	June 11,	1950	49		49 (broken stub)	2.4	Capture sites 20 feet apart.
	September 2,	1950	63		63 + 31	4.9
No. 11.	June 13,	1949	57		68 (regenerated)	....
	August 8,	1949	70		37 + 11	....

Adult skinks can be found in greatest numbers in the breeding season and many of the young that were marked were recaptured as newly matured breeding adults soon after their second hibernation, often still short of average adult size. Selected records of such individuals are presented below.

Table 10. Records of Individual Skinks Marked as Young and Recaptured as Adults.

	Date	Snout-vent length in mm.		Tail length in mm.	Weight in grams	Remarks
No. 1.	Male					Probably less than a month old at first capture 21 months later and 185 feet away, he had red facial suffusion already somewhat faded as the breeding season waned.
	August 21, 1950	34		48	.7
	May 30, 1952	69		37 + 49	....
No. 2.	Male					All three captures within a 70-foot diameter.
	July 31, 1949	39		64	....
	August 22, 1949	47		75	....
	May 19, 1951	73		69 (regenerated)	....
No. 3.	Male					Capture sites 10 feet apart.
	August 5, 1949	36		57	....
	May 3, 1951	67		103	5.1
No. 4.	Male					Capture sites 535 feet apart.
	June 16, 1951	44		41 (broken stub)	....
	May 28, 1952	63		77 (regenerated)	....
No. 5.	Male					Capture sites 100 feet apart.
	April 12, 1950	45		73	1.9
	May 1, 1951	67		17 + 48	....
No. 6.	Male					This individual had attained approximately average adult size by the 1951 breeding season; all three captures were within a distance of 90 feet.
	April 12, 1950	46		4 + 15	1.3
	August 10, 1950	67		75 (regenerated)	5.3
	May 12, 1951	71		77 (regenerated)	....
No. 7.	Male
	April 30, 1950	48	1⁄2	781⁄2	2.4
	June 15, 1950	56		94	2.9
	May 19, 1951	67		90 (broken stub)	....
No. 8.	Male					Capture sites 450 feet apart.
	May 3, 1950	47		51 + 4	1.7
	May 29, 1951	75		115 (regenerated)	....
No. 9.	Male					Capture sites 90 feet apart.
	June 2, 1949	51		46 (broken stub)	....
	May 2, 1950	66	1⁄2	311⁄2 + 51	7.0
No. 10.	Male					Capture sites within 40 feet.
	May 20, 1950	58		921⁄2	4.0
	June 21, 1950	61		95	4.7
	August 21, 1950	70		108 (broken stub)	7.2
No. 11.	Male
	June 25, 1950	62		100	5.1
	May 1, 1951	71		113	7.1
No. 12.	Female					Capture sites 160 feet apart.
	April 15, 1950	46	1⁄2	731⁄2	1.5
	May 20, 1951	72		113	....
No. 13.	Female					Capture sites 20 feet apart.
	June 11, 1950	51		69	2.5
	May 25, 1951	66		40	....
No. 14.	Female					Capture sites 20 feet apart.
	June 6, 1949	52		47 (regenerated)	....
	May 20, 1950	68	1⁄2	69 (regenerated)	7.5
	June 9, 1950	71		71 (regenerated)	....
No. 15.	Female					Capture sites 20 feet apart.
	July 2, 1950	60		100	4.2
	May 21, 1951	74		33 + 35	....
No. 16.	Female					Capture sites 35 feet apart.
	June 12, 1950	57		83	3.1
	May 1, 1951	71	1⁄2	53 (broken stub)	6.4
No. 17.	Female					This female probably hatched in July 1948 and was nearing adult size when first caught at an age of a little less than a year. By the next breeding season it was an average sized adult; both captures at same site.
	June 22, 1949	62		24 (broken stub)	....
	May 22, 1950	72		27 + 7	9.0
No. 18.	Female					This female probably was approximately a year old when first caught, and she grew to average adult size by the next spring; both captures at same site.
	July 4, 1950	64		30 + 55	4.3
	May 23, 1951	73		31 + 62	....
No. 19.	Female					This female was about a year old when first captured; loss of weight in July 1951 was caused by its laying a clutch of eggs. All three captures were within a 15-foot diameter.
	July 5, 1950	61	1⁄2	921⁄2 (regenerated)	4.7
	June 14, 1951	73		111 (regenerated)	8.2
	June 29, 1951	74		106 (regenerated)	5.0