The essential skink

In these days of long light and hot sun one often hears complaints about the heat, but not all inhabitants of the Santa Monica Mountains disdain the summer months.

Walking through the blazing chaparral at midday, reptiles may be the only other intrepid mountain inhabitants you encounter. When all of nature is taking a siesta, the only movement you detect may be the scurrying of a lizard running for cover as you approach. These reptiles play an essential role in the chaparral ecosystem.

Two days ago, after sitting quietly for some time, I noticed a pulsing in the oak duff. The leaves would rise and fall quickly with sudden jerks. A minute later a glossy tiny head appeared, then dove back down, revealing a snakelike tail. The body was not exposed.

As I watched intently over the next half-hour, this animal dove in and out as if the leaves were water. Surfacing to detect danger, diving for what I assume was food. Occasionally the creature spied a cricket or dragonfly and went very still, waiting to pounce. The fluidity of this animal was astonishing, moving from side to side in waves, reminding me of a tiny sea serpent.

Over time I was able to see beautiful, metallic golden and brown stripes, set on a black background, running lengthwise down the body. Four small legs assured me it was some type of lizard.

This animal was in perfect union with its surroundings until I accidentally jerked to wave away a fly. The lizard came to a dead stop, head moving up and down, sizing me up. There was a brief flash of what seemed to be recognition, then it quickly ran into a crevice of my bag.

What astonished me was not only the grace of this animal but that moment of recognition we shared. Utterly alien to one another, there was absolute connection for a fleeting instant. Unfortunately, it ended with one of us fleeing for protection. But from that moment I have come to better understand the vast diversity of our ecosystem. There are so many unseen participants aiding the health of our mountain environs.

Is it a skink?

After carefully extracting the terrorized fellow from my bag, I returned home to research this hunter of the oak duff. I found this adult lizard to be a western skink, Eumeces skiltonianus.

Skinks, part of the Scincidae family, are widely distributed, being found on every continent except Antarctica. There are 1,200 species worldwide, approximately 20 in the United States and around five in the western U.S.

Skinks can easily be distinguished from other lizards by their smooth and glossy scales, which are reinforced by bone. The legs of skinks are reduced, but even so they are fast runners.

Their tongues are forked, and many have a "window" in the lower eyelid that allows them to see when their eyes are closed. None of the western skinks have this feature.

They usually live in habitats with nearby moisture, feeding primarily on insects, arachnids, worms and possibly small vertebrates.

Brilliant when breeding

The western skink grows to a length of 4 inches with a broad brown stripe down its back edged with black and flanked with whitish to golden lateral stripes. There is a second set of pale stripes near the underside, separated from the lateral stripes by black. The tail is a dull blue or gray. When breeding, brilliant orange or red may appear on the head, chin and tail.

The young are differentiated from adults by a bright blue tail and prominent striping.

Females lay and tend a clutch of two to 10 eggs in June and July.

This species often frequents rocky patches near streams with plant cover, but they may also be found on hillsides far from water. Other habitats are grasslands, pinyon juniper and oak pine forests.

This is just one of many lizards that play an essential role in the chaparral ecosystem, helping to keep rodent and insect populations down. In turn, they are prey for many species.

In contrast to snakes, lizards have legs with five toes on each foot, with the exception of the legless lizards. Also differing from snakes, lizards have moveable eyelids and ear openings; snakes do not.

Although diurnal and one of the most widely distributed lizard species, skinks are rarely seen. They hunt on the forest floors and in chaparral scrub, helping to control the population of insects and spiders.

True unsung heroes, skinks remind me to appreciate all those entities that work undercover for the health of our environmental and social communities.

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