Eumeces

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Eumeces
Western Skink (Eumeces skiltonianus)
Western Skink (Eumeces skiltonianus)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Sauria
Family: Scincidae
Genus: Eumeces
Wiegmann, 1834
Species

See text.

The genus of Eumeces-skinks is due to Wiegmann, 1834. They are secretive, agile lizards with a cylindrical body covered with smooth, shiny scales.

Eumeces head shape and scalation
Eumeces head shape and scalation

The genus sometimes goes by the common name of "New World Skinks" or "Great Skinks" (from Greek: the prefix "eu" means "true" or "good", "mokos" means "size" or "length"), but both these common names are actually misnomers: skinks of the genus Eumeces occur also in Asia, and they're not particularly big either: while the largest skinks of this genus, the Great Plains Skink, can reach a length of some 34 cm or about 14 inches, most species are smaller than 20 cm including the tail. The tail makes up for about half of this total length.

Another colloquial name of these skinks is "blue-tailed skink": young Eumeces often have a brightly colored tail, which is typically blue. In most species, this coloring is lost when the animal reaches adulthood, but a few species retain the color even as adults, e.g. the Bluetail Mole Skink.

This coloring is a survival trait: it attracts a predator's attention to the tail of the animal, which will break off when grabbed. A skink thus often manages to escape and hide under some rock, log, or fallen leaves while the predator still contemplates the wildly thrashing severed tail. (This is an instance of what is called autotomy: voluntarily shedding a body part in order to escape.)

The skink regrows an autotomized tail, which then usually has the same color as the rest of the body and typically is also shorter than the original tail. In some species, regrown tails are pinkish. A regrown tail has a cartilaginous rod for support instead of vertebrae.

Eumeces are all oviparous. The female lays eggs once a year after the breeding season in spring. The clutch size varies and is typically around 5 to 10 eggs. The hatchlings appear in late summer.

Like other reptiles, these skinks are "cold-blooded" — they are ectothermic animals: their metabolism cannot regulate their body temperature. To warm up, they often bask in the sun. In colder climates, they hibernate in winter in burrows below the frost line. In hot climates, they are active mainly in the morning and evening, staying under cover during the hottest hours of the day to avoid overheating.

These skinks are not dangerous to humans. They are not especially aggressive, but will bite if provoked. The bite is not very painful, even to children, who may find great amusement with the spectacle of a lizard dangling from their forefinger. Whether the skink finds this experience amusing as well is doubtful. Eumeces are delicate animals whose tail breaks off easily, and herpetologists and other enthusiasts should handle them with great care, if at all.

[edit] Classification

Within the genus Eumeces, the following species are recognized:

Some species that originally were considered Eumeces have recently been assigned to other genera:

  • Eumeces algeriensis — North Africa: Novoeumeces algeriensis
  • Eumeces altamiraniMesoscinucs altamirani
  • Eumeces blythianusNovoeumeces blythianus
  • Eumeces indothalensisEurylepis indothalensis
  • Eumeces managuaeMesoscinucs managuae
  • Eumeces poonaensisEurylepis poonaensis
  • Eumeces schneideri — Berber Skink, North Africa: Novoeumeces schneideri
  • Eumeces schwartzeiMesoscinucs schwartzei
  • Eumeces taeniolatusEurylepis taeniolatus

Finally, there is Eumeces gaigeae, the "Variable Skink" in North America: researchers seem to be unclear about this skink, it is sometimes listed as a separate species, and sometimes as a subspecies of Eumeces multivirgatus, either as Eumeces multivirgatus gaigeae or as Eumeces multivirgatus epipleurotus.

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