When alarmed, the Ground Skink (Scincella lateralis) is quick to take refuge under the nearest shelter. When running, it makes lateral, snakelike movements. It does not hesitate to enter water to escape, but seldom climbs. (Conant and Collins 1991)
Scincella lateralis responds to both visual and chemical cues of prey. A visual stimulus is associated with an increased rate of tongue flicking, orientation to the prey, and attack behavior. Chemical cues are of reduced importance when the visual cue (movement) is present. However, when the visual stimulus of prey is removed, the rate of tongue flicking increases, and is significantly greater in the presence of a prey extract than to a dead prey item or a water control. When prey are non-moving or dead, chemical cues enable the lizard to distinguish potential prey from inanimate objects. (Nicoletto 1985)
Scincella lateralis, like many lizards, autotomizes its tail as a defense strategy. Tail autotomy involves the lizard releasing ("dropping") its tail to allow it to escape from a predator. The tails of many lizard species, including S. lateralis, may thrash wildly from side to side after being autotomized. Dial and Fitzpatrick (1983) experimentally studied the effect of this thrashing on a mammal predator (a feral domestic cat) and a snake (milk snake, Lampropeltis triangulum). They found that the wildly thrashing autotomized tails consistently distracted the cat predator sufficiently to allow the lizard to escape (this was not the case for the same experiments run with another lizard, Anolis carolinensis, which has a much lower rate of tail thrashing). In encounters with a snake predator, rather than distracting the snake, the effect of the thrashing tail appeared to be to increase tail handling time (specifically, subdue time) relative to a quiescent tail, giving the lizard more time to escape.
The Ground Skink (Scincella lateralis) is a quick and elusive smooth, brown-backed, long-tailed lizard of the eastern United States. It is typically found in habitats such as humid forests with abundant leaf litter, where it feeds on insects and spiders. (Behler and King 1979; Conant and Collins 1991)
The Ground Skink (Scincella lateralis) is found in the eastern United states from southern New Jersey south to the Florida Keys and west to eastern Kansas and west-central Texas, with isolated records from central Illinois, northeastern Missouri, and Coahuila (northern Mexico) (Conant and Collins 1991).
The Ground Skink (Scincella lateralis) lives on the forest floor, searching for insects among leaves, decaying wood, and detritus. It is found in humid forests, hardwood hammocks, and forested grasslands--wherever leaf litter is abundant. In the Deep South, it is likely to appear almost anywhere, even in towns and gardens. (Behler and King 1979; Conant and Collins 1991)
Other small brown lizards in the range of Scincella lateralis either have rough scales, indications of light stripes (dark in Scincella lateralis), or both. Two-lined salamanders are similar in color and pattern, but lack scales and claws. (Conant and Collins 1991)
The Ground Skink (Scincella lateralis) is a small, smooth, golden-brown to blackish-brown long-tailed and small-legged lizard with a dark dorsolateral stripe. The shade of brown varies with geography from reddish or chocolate to light golden brown. In the darkest specimens, the dark stripe almost blends with ground color. The belly is white or yellowish. A transparent disc in the lower eyelid allows the lizard to see when the eye is closed. The length including tail is about 7.5 to 14.5 cm, with a maximum head-body length of less than 6 cm. Young are about 4.5 cm at hatching. (Behler and King 1979; Conant and Collins 1991)
Scincella lateralis is oviparous (lays eggs) (Smith and Brodie 1982). Mating occurs from January to August. A clutch of 1 to 7 eggs may be laid almost monthly from April to August, with a maximum of 5 clutches per season. The female abandons the nest after laying (there is no parental care). (Behler and King 1979)
