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The broad-headed skink, P. laticeps, is similar, and may be difficult to distinguish from P. fasciatus. The former species usually lacks the two enlarged postlabial scales characteristic of P. fasciatus. [7] [8] Adult male broad-headed skinks, with their large size and swollen red head, are readily distinguished from P. fasciatus. [9]
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). A male broad-headed skink, illustration from Holbrook's North American Herpetology, 1842. The broad-headed skink gets its name from the wide jaws, giving the head a triangular appearance.
The conspicuous coloring of species of Plestiodon is a survival trait: it attracts a predator's attention to the tail of the animal, which will break off when grabbed. A skink thus often manages to escape and hide under some rock, log, or fallen leaves while the predator still contemplates the wildly thrashing severed tail.
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Extant primates exhibit a broad range of variation in sexual size dimorphism (SSD), or sexual divergence in body size. [4] It ranges from species such as gibbons and strepsirrhines (including Madagascar's lemurs) in which males and females have almost the same body sizes to species such as chimpanzees and bonobos in which males' body sizes are larger than females' body sizes.
Male Solomon Islands skinks tend to have a broader head and a more slender body shape than female skinks. [15] Males have a V-shaped pattern of scales just aft of the cloacal opening, which is not present in female skinks. [15] The scales of Solomon Islands skinks are a dark green but are often speckled with light brown or black. [4]
The coal skink mates in spring or early summer, laying a clutch of 8 or 9 eggs. Their eggs are typically around 10–11 mm in length. [5] Courting for this species usually involves the male's initial investigation and recognition of a potential female through pheromonal cues. [6]
The characteristic short snout and flat-faced appearance are typical traits of the brachycephalic breed. This makes them more likely to snore, as well as finding exercise in hot, humid weather ...