Skink

Broadhead Skink

There are 3 kinds of skinks in the Southeast that have the same traits.  They are the Five-lined, Southeastern Five-lined and the Broadhead skink.  It’s hard to tell the difference between these skinks except for the mature male Broadhead skink.  He has a large orange head and powerful jaws.  All can be found under logs, in trees and in the woods.  They eat a wide variety of insects, spiders and other invertebrates.  They lay eggs in rotten logs or moist soil in the summer.  The young skinks have bright blue tails and white or yellowish stripes and  sometimes called scorpions, but they are not venomous.  When they get older their stripes fade and their color changes.  When threatened by a predator they will break off their tails allowing them to escape. 

Source of information: srelherp.uga.edu/lizards

The Eastern Garter Snake

Baby Garter Snake 7-19-14

The Eastern Garter Snake is a non venomous snake common throughout the Southeast.  They live in mostly grassy environments near ponds, ditches and streams.  They like to live under boards, logs, rocks and other debris.  The garter snake eats slugs, worms, frogs, fish and tadpoles.  They give birth to live young and usually grow 18 – 26 inches long.  

source: srelherp.uga.edu

Mediterranean Gecko

The Mediterranean Gecko is a small, nocturnal non native lizard.  It is believed that they originally came from Southern Europe and Northern Africa.  The Mediterranean Gecko can not blink because they have  no eyelids, so they  lick their eyes to clean them.   They also have sticky toe pads allowing them to climb walls and even walk on ceilings.    They like to live near people and buildings with outside lights where they can catch a wide variety of bugs, spiders and invertebrates.  Unlike other lizards, geckos can make clicking and barking noises.  

source of information: srelherp.uga.edu    and    Wikipedia.org/wiki/Gecko

Geckos will break off their tail to escape from a predator

Geckos are nocturnal

       Gecko Video 10-7-14

Geckos eat bugs near outside lights

Eastern Box Turtle

The Eastern  Box Turtle is a terrestrial (land) turtle.  They have a high rounded shell with splotches of yellow or orange . They can completely close their shell because it is hinged.  The closed shell keeps them protected from predators like raccoons and foxes.  They are found in woods, fields and edges of wetlands.  They are mostly herbivorous (plant eaters ) but will eat slugs and insects.  The males have red eyes.  They can live over 50 years.

source of information: srelherp.uga.edu/turtles

Predator marks on back

They have four toes with claws

Some have different shell color and patterns

Enjoy and then release

Video of Box Turtle 10/3/14

IMG_9491

Turtles eat slugs but this one wasn’t interested in the snail