I need to post something before January slips away, but I’ve had a hard time doing that, because this is the time of year when I feel that we should all be hibernating. (And very specifically I feel that I should be hibernating.) Speaking of which, here is something that gets to spend January in a torporous state, the Five-lined Skink (Plestiodon fasciatus). It is the only species of lizard that is common in this area, and I have blogged about it many times before.
This individual is interesting in that it seems to be stuck in a state of awkward adolescent, showing both the blue tail of a juvenile and the red facial coloration of a mature male.
