Please join us as we explore the skinks, turtles, toads, and other fascinating species found in Montgomery County, Maryland.  We are adding new species and new photos every couple of days; come back and check out the new additions - and be sure to share this with your friends and colleagues!

For more information about our programs involving "herps" (from herpetology: the scientific study of reptiles and amphibians), please email DEP, or call 240.777.7700

Your Neighborhood - Their Habitat
The different amphibians and reptiles we will be examining on this website are found near streams, lakes, ponds, and wetlands - and some may be found in your own backyard or garden!

While in these habitats, keep your ears open and listen for the different, often melodic calls of the frogs.  And keep your eyes wide open as you look under rocks, fallen branches, logs, and leaves to see if you can find any of the species of turtles, frogs, toads, salamanders, lizards, and snakes.

Beyond the fact that both amphibians and reptiles are cold blooded vertebrates (having a backbone), they actually have a lot of important differences.

Amphibians have smooth skin and generally hatch as aquatic larvae with gills. As these animals grow into adults they develop lungs which they use to breath, and are then capable of living in both land and water. Examples of amphibians are frogs, toads, and salamanders.

Reptiles have scales or horny plates; they use lungs to breath, and generally lay eggs. Some examples are snakes, turtles, and lizards.

Introduction to Skinks

Skinks are lizards in the class Reptilia, family Scincidae. They have long slender bodies and tails that are covered with smooth scales, which contain boney plates, called osteoderms. Skinks are primarily terrestrial and diurnal, looking for food during the day, and taking shelter at night, either for protection or to escape heat. Depending on the habitat they occupy, some species have short legs, while burrowing skinks may have tiny legs or no legs at all. The borrowing species have a clear slit in the lower eyelid allowing them to still see while their eyes are closed; this keeps their eyes free of dirt when burrowing. Skinks are found near some source of water, such as springs, swamps, or humid underground hollows. They hide under leaf litter, rocks, and decaying logs. Their diet mainly consists of arthropods and insects. Large skinks eat mice, bird nestlings, and eggs of certain species of sparrow. The female skinks guard their eggs in the nest until they hatch. During mating season some males may develop red and orange coloration on their heads. Montgomery County has one species of skink: the quick-darting five-lined skink. Within the United States there are 15 species, while worldwide there are 1,280 species found on every continent except Antarctica.

Skink Image Gallery

Five-lined Skink, Eumeces fasciatus

The Five-lined Skink grows up to 12.7-21.5cm. Young skinks have five white stripes along a black back with brilliantly bright blue tails. As skinks age, the color of their back lightens, their five stripes darken, and their tail becomes a dull gray. Female skinks usually retain a striped pattern, while males may become almost a solid olive brown color. Breeding takes place during April and May. Females lay up to 15 eggs in a nest and care for them until they hatch. During the breeding season the males develop an orange-red color on their jaws. The Five-lined skink is terrestrial and is known to climb trees and snags where insects are abundant. This particular skink is a burrower, and is commonly found in dugouts under rocks and debris, in sawdust piles, in wooded areas, garden beds, and around houses. Their diet consists primarily of insects and larvae, spiders, earthworms, and small mice.


Credits & References

Photos
Kenneth L. Krysko, Florida Museum of Natural History–Herpetology.

Text References
1. Behler, John L., and F. Wayne King. 2000. National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians.
2. Conant, Roger, and Joseph Collins. 1998. Peterson Field Guide: Reptiles and Amphibians Eastern/Central North America
3. Northern Prairie Research Center. 1997.
Checklist of Amphibian Species and Identification Guide. An Online Guide for the Identifications of Amphibians in North America North of Mexico. North American Reporting Center for Amphibian Malformations. Jamestown, ND.
Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center:
http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/narcam/idguide/ (Version 27, March, 2002)
4. Frog song descriptions taken from www.enature.com