Can you fathom the mysteries of God? Can you probe the limits of the Almighty? Job 11:7
We lived in our home a long time before we ever saw one of these critters, though I think we heard them many years prior to seeing one. Often when we’d walk out on our back patio in the summer, we’d hear something dart through the dry leaves. Then we finally started catching a glimpse of these lightning fast lizards.
Lizards are cold-blooded, which means they cannot regulate their own body temperature. They are dependent on the surrounding environmental temperature. That’s why they can sometimes be seen stretched out on a rock in the sunshine. I kind of like that idea myself, except the part about lying on a rock.
Skinks feed on grasshoppers, small beetles, moths, gnats and flies, spiders, and even earthworms.
Like a lot of lizards, this skink displays what is known as autotomy. It can actually discard its own tail when a predator gets too close. The tail continues to twist and move, distracting the predator and allowing the skink a better chance of escape. The bright blue color of the tail also helps distract the predator. The skink will then grow a new tail to replace the one he shed. How cool is that!
Remarkable critter.
Amazing Creator.
Hope you have a great day.
7/23/21 : Beautiful, found one on our oak tree in back yard a few minutes ago. I had never seen one before. Took a picture. I asked my husband if this was a salamander. He said yes. The same color as your picture. Amazing ! God makes beauty !
Hi Martha,
Thanks for your comment. Strangely enough, around our house I tend to hear these skinks more than see them. Mostly just a lightning-fast scampering through the dry leaves or grass, sometimes with a glimpse of the electric blue of their tail. God makes beauty – well said. I can’t imagine His infinite creativity as He spoke all this variety into existence.