Eumeces Fasciatus - Range and Habitat

Range and Habitat

The range of the Five-lined Skink extends in the north to southern Ontario, Michigan and eastern New York. The western border is in Minnesota, Missouri and eastern Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Florida, and Texas. These skinks tend to be most abundant on the coastal plain in the southeastern United States and along the Gulf Coast. They have now been seen in increasing numbers in the northern Chesapeake Bay Region of Maryland particularly along the shores of the Elk River.

They are listed as "special concern" in Ontario by COSEWIC, and it is illegal to remove skinks from their habitats in Canada. Skinks are at the extreme edge of their habitat range in Canada, which makes it an area of special interest to ecologists, as extreme conditions place unique evolutionary pressures upon species. Five-lined Skinks have split into two phylogenetically-distinct populations in this edge habitat: the Carolinian population, also present in the United States, ends around Point Pelee National Park in southern Ontario. The St. Lawrence / Great Lakes population resides in the Ottawa Valley in eastern Ontario and tends to be more tolerant to sparse or rocky conditions than its sister subspecies.

Five-lined Skinks are ground-dwelling animals. They prefer moist, partially wooded habitat that provides ample cover or inside walls of buildings as well as sites to bask in the sun. They can also be found in broken, rocky areas at the northern edge of their habitat.