Broad-headed skinks are preyed on by carnivorous birds, larger reptiles, and some mammals, including domesticated cats. Like most skinks, broad-headed skinks have tails that break away when grabbed by a predator. The tail continues to wiggle and distracts the predator while the skink makes its escape, often climbing into a surrounding tree or under leaf debris.
Known Predators:
The bodies of juveniles range from brown to black, with five to seven stripes on the dorsal side. These stripes vary in color from white to light orange, trending to a vibrant blue on the tail. If a juvenile is attacked, the bright blue tail breaks away and wiggles to distract the predator. By sexual maturity, males become a uniform brown color, losing all of their stripes. Their heads become orange to red and increase both in size and vibrancy during mating season. Broad-headed skinks are the second largest skink species, and males are larger than females, reaching a maximum of 324 millimeters. Adult females keep some of their striped coloration, but do not retain the blue stripes on their tails.
Five-lined skinks (Plestiodon fasciatus) are often confused with female and juvenile broad-headed skinks because of their blue tail striping, but can be distinguished by having four labial scales around the mouth, while broad-headed skinks have five.
Range length: 324 (high) mm.
Other Physical Features: heterothermic
Sexual Dimorphism: male larger; sexes colored or patterned differently; male more colorful
The lifespan of broad-headed skinks in the wild is unknown. Five-lined skinks (Plestiodon fasciatus), a related species, live an average of four years in the wild and it is thought that broad-headed skink lifespans would be comparable. One report suggests that broad-headed skinks can live at least eight years in captivity, since a skink was captured at approximately four years of age and lived for four more in captivity.
Range lifespan
Status: captivity: 8 (high) years.
Little is known about how broad-headed skinks communicate, although it is known that they can visually distinguish between sexes and can also detect the scent of pheromones. Males smell by tongue flicking in order to track pheromones emitted by females during mating season. They are very likely to use these senses in general perception of their environment, as well.
Communication Channels: visual ; chemical
Other Communication Modes: pheromones ; scent marks
Perception Channels: visual ; tactile ; acoustic ; chemical
Broad-headed skink populations are stable and they are not considered a conservation risk.
US Federal List: no special status
CITES: no special status
State of Michigan List: no special status
Broad-headed skinks hatch from eggs and look like small versions of their parents. No published information is currently available regarding the embryological development of this skink.
Development - Life Cycle: indeterminate growth
Broad-headed skinks have no known negative impact on humans.
Broad-headed skinks are often taken from the wild and placed into the pet trade.
Positive Impacts: pet trade
Broad-headed skinks are a food source for their predators and their consumption of insects can help keep populations under control. Although not documented in this species, Saurian malaria, caused by Plasmodium mexicanum has been known to affect related skink species.
Broad-headed skinks consume many different kinds of insects, arachnids, mollusks, rodents, and smaller reptiles, including juveniles of its own species. Broad-headed skinks search for food in trees and on the the ground using visual and chemical signals, which are detected via tongue flicking.
Animal Foods: mammals; reptiles; insects; terrestrial non-insect arthropods; mollusks
Primary Diet: carnivore (Insectivore )
Broad-headed skinks can be found in central and eastern parts of the United States, ranging from Pennsylvania to Florida and Indiana to Texas.
Biogeographic Regions: nearctic (Native )
Broad-headed skinks are arboreal, and prefer open forest habitats. However, they are also found hunting, mating, and nesting on the ground. Areas with abundant dead or decaying tree matter are selected for nesting.
Habitat Regions: temperate ; terrestrial
Terrestrial Biomes: forest
Female broad-headed skinks have a urodael gland, which secretes pheromones during the breeding season. This gland is not found on males. Males use tongue-flicking to follow the female's pheromone trails. Females prefer to mate with larger males with the most brightly-colored orange heads. Males initiate a neck grasp with accepting females and breeding begins. Males guard females around a week, preventing other males' attempts at mating, and aggressively fight with any males who approach. If the male finds another female within the next few weeks of breeding season, he will start the courting process over and try to mate again.
Mating System: polygynous
Broad-headed skinks breed only once per year in late spring. Females usually lay 8 to 13 eggs in their nest, which is made of leaf debris or in a decaying tree. The eggs weigh less than a gram each. The female will remain with the eggs for the 3 to 8 weeks until they hatch, only leaving to feed. Newly hatched skinks venture out of the nest within a few days. They are sexually mature when they reach a total length of 75 mm.
Breeding interval: Broad-headed skinks breed once yearly.
Breeding season: Breeding season occurs over several weeks in late spring. Eggs have an incubation period of 3-8 weeks.
Range number of offspring: 8 to 13.
Average number of offspring: 11.
Range gestation period: 3 to 8 weeks.
Key Reproductive Features: iteroparous ; seasonal breeding ; sexual ; fertilization ; oviparous
Females guard their egg clutches until they hatch. They leave shortly after hatching, offering no further parental investment. Males do not participate in taking care of the eggs.
Parental Investment: female parental care ; pre-fertilization (Provisioning, Protecting: Female); pre-hatching/birth (Provisioning: Female, Protecting: Female)
The broad-headed skink or broadhead skink (Plestiodon laticeps) is species of lizard, endemic to the southeastern United States.[1] The broadhead skink occurs in sympatry with the five-lined skink (Plestiodon fasciatus) and Southeastern five-lined skink (Plestiodon inexpectatus) in forest of the Southeastern United States. All three species are phenotypically similar throughout much of their development and were considered a single species prior to the mid-1930s.[3]
Together with the Great Plains skink it is the largest of the "Plestiodon skinks", growing from a total length of 15 cm (5.9 in) to nearly 33 cm (13 in).
The broad-headed skink gets its name from the wide jaws, giving the head a triangular appearance. Adult males are brown or olive brown in color and have bright orange heads during the mating season in spring. Females have five light stripes running down the back and the tail, similar to the Five-lined Skink. However, they can be distinguished by having five labial scales around the mouth, whereas Five-lined skinks have only four.[4] Juveniles are dark brown or black and also striped and have blue tails.
Broad-headed skinks are semi-arboreal lizards that are strongly associated with live oak trees. It does not appear that the lizards have a preference for tree size, rather they prefer trees with holes. Juveniles stay closer to the ground on low or fallen branches.[5] Males have been known to guard preferred trees that are surrounded with dense brushes to limit attack by predators and harbor prey.[6] Dead and decaying trees are important habitat resources for nesting.[7] The occurrence of the species was seen to correlate with the presence of Black Walnut (Juglans nigra). [8]
Broad-headed skinks are the most arboreal of the North American Plestiodon. They forage on the ground, but also easily and often climb trees for shelter, to sleep, or to search for food. Broad-headed skinks often feed on what are called "hidden prey"; prey items that can only be located by searching under debris, soil or litter.[9] Broad-headed skinks are preyed on by a variety of organisms including carnivorous birds, larger reptiles, and mammals. Skinks prefer to flee by climbing a nearby tree or seeking shelter under foliage.[5] These skinks exhibit tail autotomy when caught by a predator. The tails break away and continue to move, distracting the predator and allowing the skink to flee.[5] Typically, females will flee before males do when found in pairs.[10] Broad-headed Skinks rely on coloration and directional stimuli to determine which end of their prey item to attack.[11] When consuming large invertebrates, they often carry them to shelter to avoid being preyed upon during the prey handling time.[12]
Males typically are larger than females.[13] The larger the female, the more eggs she will lay. Males thus often try to mate with the largest female they can find, and they sometimes engage in severe fights with other males over access to a female. Large adult males in South Carolina will guard females within their territories and chase away smaller males. [14] Females will also mate with the largest males they can find, a result of the Good Genes Hypothesis.[15] Females only have a preference on body size of males when reproducing, they tend to look over the more dominant feature of bright orange heads on this species.[16] Females emit a pheromone from glands in the base of the tail when they are sexually receptive and males can find them by tracking their chemical trails through tongue-flicking.[17] Males show higher tongue flicking rates when exposed to conspecific females verses heterospecific females when mating and will terminate behavioral interaction without initiating courtship if the pheromones do not match the species.[18] The female lays between 8 and 22 eggs, which she guards and protects until they hatch in June or July. Female broadhead skinks will lay their clutch in decaying log cavities, and they have been observed to create a sort of nest by packing down debris within their cavities.[19] The hatchlings have a total length of 6 centimetres (2.4 in) to 8 centimetres (3.1 in).
Broad-headed skinks are widely distributed in the southeastern states of the United States, from the East Coast to Kansas and eastern Texas and from Ohio to the Gulf Coast.
These skinks (along with the similar Plestiodon fasciatus) are sometimes wrongly thought to be venomous.[20] Broad-headed skinks are nonvenomous.
The broad-headed skink or broadhead skink (Plestiodon laticeps) is species of lizard, endemic to the southeastern United States. The broadhead skink occurs in sympatry with the five-lined skink (Plestiodon fasciatus) and Southeastern five-lined skink (Plestiodon inexpectatus) in forest of the Southeastern United States. All three species are phenotypically similar throughout much of their development and were considered a single species prior to the mid-1930s.
El eslizón de cabeza ancha (Plestiodon laticeps) es una especie de lagarto escamoso escíncido del género Plestiodon.[1][2] Fue descrito por el naturalista alemán Johann Gottlob Theaenus Schneider en 1801.[2]
El nombre del género Plestiodon proviene de las palabras griegas pleistos (πλεῖστος) "muchos" y odus (ὀδούς) que significa diente.[3] El epíteto específico de P. laticeps, proviene la palabra griega "cefale" (kephale) "cabeza" y del latín "latus", que significa "ancho".[3][2] Esto es en referencia a esta característica morfológica del animal.
Esta especie es uno de los eslizones más grandes de su género junto al eslizón de la Gran Planicie, con unos 15 a 33 cm, y en general, son los eslizones más grandes del sureste y de la región, siendo superados solo por los lagartos de cristal.[4][3] La longitud hocico-cloaca es de 14,3 cm. Los machos son más grandes que las hembras y presentan cabezas de mayores dimensiones.[3]
Cómo la mayoría de eslizones del género Plestiodon, los juveniles son de un color de fondo generalmente gris, marrón o negro con cinco líneas blancas crema, amarillentas o anaranjadas, dos en cada lado y una en el centro de la espalda.[4][3] Pueden presentarse 2 líneas sublaterales aparte, formando en total 7.[3] La cola es de color azul brillante. Al llegar la adultez, a menudo las líneas se desvanecen al color del cuerpo, generalmente a un gris oliva o un marrón claro uniforme, y la cola se vuelve de color gris pardusco. Los ejemplares hembra mantienen las líneas, aunque estás se desvanecen un poco.[3] Los machos maduros sexualmente desarrollan grandes y hinchadas cabezas naranjas brillantes con poderosas mandíbulas que se agrandan durante la época reproductiva.[3][4]
El eslizón de cabeza ancha es un depredador principalmente de una amplia variedad de invertebrados y en ciertas ocasiones algunos vertebrados.[3] En 1939, el herpetólogo Robert H. McCauley para un registro de la alimentación de lagartos en Maryland reportó ortópteros, himenópteros, arañas y un eslizón americano de cinco líneas como presas del eslizón de cabeza ancha.[5] Para un registro en Carolina del Sur, los herpetólogos Laure J. Vitt y William E. Cooper en 1986 registraron como presas de este lagarto saltamontes, grillos, cucarachas, diversas formas de escarabajos, tijeretas, chinches, larvas de lepidópteros, polillas, moscas, hormigas, colacuernos ( un himenóptero), anfípodos, arañas, cochinillas, opiliones, caracoles pulmonados y lagartijas, incluidos registros de canibalismo con los juveniles de su propia especie.[6] Este eslizón usa señales visuales y quimiosensoriales para detectar presas, generalmente entre la hojarasca.[3][6][7]
Generalmente se desconoce los depredadores de este eslizón.[3] Los depredadores potenciales del eslizón de cabeza ancha son aves carnívoras, lagartos más grandes y gatos domésticos.[7][3]
Se sabe que como la mayoría de eslizones, el eslizón de cabeza ancha puede desprender su cola para distraer a los depredadores mientras escapa, como una salamanquesa. Este método de defensa suele ser de gran ayuda en los ejemplares juveniles, debido a los brillantes colores azules en la cola que deslumbran visualmente a los depredadores.[8][9][10][7] Los lugares de escondite durante un escape son principalmente árboles.[3][7] Se sabe que nadan durante un escape y también buscan refugio bajo desechos terrestres. Si son atrapados pueden llegar a morder fuertemente con sus mandíbulas.[3]
La época reproductiva inicia a finales de la primavera.[7] Las hembras de eslizones de cabeza ancha tienen una glándula que secreta feromonas durante la temporada de reproducción. Durante esta época los machos mueven la lengua para seguir los rastros de feromonas de la hembra.[11][7][3]
Las hembras prefieren aparearse con machos de cabezas más grandes y de un de color naranja más brillante.[7] El color naranja de este eslizón está regulado por la producción estacional de la hormona testosterona.[12][3] La cópula inicia con el macho mordiendo y sujetando del cuello de la hembra. Después de la cópula los ejemplares machos protegen a las hembras fertilizadas durante de una semana, evitando otros intentos de apareamiento con otros machos, llegando a peleas agresivas. Si el macho encuentra otra hembra dentro de las próximas semanas de la temporada de reproducción, comenzará el proceso de cortejo nuevamente e intentará aparearse nuevamente.[13][10][7]
La hembra deposita una sola nidada en junio en lugares como troncos y tocones en descomposición.[14]
El eslizón de cabeza ancha (Plestiodon laticeps) es una especie de lagarto escamoso escíncido del género Plestiodon. Fue descrito por el naturalista alemán Johann Gottlob Theaenus Schneider en 1801.
Plestiodon laticeps Plestiodon generoko animalia da. Narrastien barruko Scincidae familian sailkatuta dago.
Plestiodon laticeps Plestiodon generoko animalia da. Narrastien barruko Scincidae familian sailkatuta dago.
Plestiodon laticeps est une espèce de sauriens de la famille des Scincidae[1].
Cette espèce est endémique des États-Unis. Elle se rencontre dans l'est du Texas, dans l'est de l'Oklahoma, dans le Missouri, dans l'Arkansas, en Louisiane, dans le sud de l'Illinois, dans le Sud de l'Indiana, dans le Kansas, dans le Sud de l'Ohio, dans le Kentucky, en Virginie, dans le Maryland, en Virginie-Occidentale, dans le Delaware, dans le New Jersey, dans le Tennessee, en Caroline du Nord, dans le Mississippi, dans l'Alabama, en Géorgie et dans le nord de la Floride[1].
mâle
Plestiodon laticeps là một loài thằn lằn trong họ Scincidae. Loài này được Schneider mô tả khoa học đầu tiên năm 1801.[2]
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Plestiodon laticeps là một loài thằn lằn trong họ Scincidae. Loài này được Schneider mô tả khoa học đầu tiên năm 1801.
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分類 界 : 動物界 Animalia 門 : 脊索動物門 Chordata 亜門 : 脊椎動物亜門 Vertebrata 綱 : 爬虫綱 Reptilia 目 : 有鱗目 Squamata 亜目 : トカゲ亜目 Sauria 下目 : Scincomorpha 上科 : Scincoidea 科 : トカゲ科 Scincidae 属 : トカゲ属 Plestiodon 種 : ヒロズトカゲ P. laticeps 学名 Plestiodon laticeps
ヒロズトカゲ（広頭蜥蜴、学名：Plestiodon laticeps）は、トカゲ科トカゲ属に分類されるトカゲ。
全長17-32cm。
幼体は色彩が黒や暗褐色で、5本の明色の縦縞が入る。また尾が青い。オスの成体は頭部の幅が広くなる。種小名laticepsは「広い頭の」の意で、和名や英名（Broad-headed=幅広い頭をした）と同義。
やや湿度の高い森林に生息する。地表性だが、高木に登ることもある。昼行性で、夜間は倒木の下等で休む。
食性は動物食で、昆虫類等を食べる。
繁殖形態は卵生。5-7月に倒木の下やリッター層等に1回に6-16個の卵を産む。母親は卵が孵化するまで保護する。
ペットとして飼育されることもあり、日本にも輸入されている。生息地では保護の対象とされているため、流通量は少なく変動がある。
この項目は、動物に関連した書きかけの項目です。この項目を加筆・訂正などしてくださる協力者を求めています（Portal:生き物と自然／プロジェクト:生物）。 
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