Gilbert's Skink (Eumeces gilberti) is a heavy-bodied medium-sized lizard of the family of skinks living in the south-western United States. It grows to about 7 to 12 cm (2.75 to 4.75 inches) total length. Public domain. ... Scientific classification or biological classification is how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms. ... Phyla Porifera (sponges) Ctenophora (comb jellies) Cnidaria Placozoa Bilateria Acoelomorpha Orthonectida Rhombozoa Myxozoa Superphylum Deuterostomia    Chordata (vertebrates, etc. ... Typical Classes Subphylum Urochordata - Tunicates Ascidiacea Thaliacea Larvacea Subphylum Cephalochordata - Lancelets Subphylum Myxini - Hagfishes Subphylum Vertebrata - Vertebrates Petromyzontida - Lampreys Placodermi (extinct) Chondrichthyes - Cartilaginous fishes Acanthodii (extinct) Actinopterygii - Ray-finned fishes Actinistia - Coelacanths Dipnoi - Lungfishes Amphibia - Amphibians Reptilia - Reptiles Aves - Birds Mammalia - Mammals Chordates (phylum Chordata) include the vertebrates, together with... Orders  Crocodylia - Crocodilians  Rhynchocephalia - Tuataras  Squamata   Suborder Sauria - Lizards   Suborder Serpentes - Snakes Testudines - Turtles Superorder Dinosauria  Saurischia  Ornithischia The reptiles are a group of vertebrate animals. ... Suborders Amphisbaenia - Worm lizards Sauria- Lizards Serpentes - Snakes Squamata (scaled reptiles) is the largest recent order of reptiles. ... Groups Lepidosauromorpha Archosauromorpha Sauria is a clade of the reptilian family tree, that includes all living diapsids, as well as their common ancestor and all its extinct descendents, which date back to Permian times. ... Genera many—see text Skinks are reptilians belonging to suborder Sauria, and there to the superfamily Scincomorpha, the same as the true lizards. ... Species See text The genus of Eumeces-skinks is due to Wiegmann, 1834. ... In biology, binomial nomenclature is a standard convention used for naming species. ... John Van Denburgh (August 23, 1872 - 1924) was a U.S. herpetologist from California. ... This page is about Lizards, the order of reptile. ... Genera many—see text Skinks are reptilians belonging to suborder Sauria, and there to the superfamily Scincomorpha, the same as the true lizards. ... A centimetre (American spelling: centimeter, symbol: cm) is an SI unit of length. ... Mid-19th century tool for converting between different standards of the inch An inch is an Imperial unit of length. ...

Taxonomy

Eumeces gilberti was first described by Van Denburgh in 1896. It was named in honor of Van Denburgh's teacher, Dr. Charles H. Gilbert (1859 - 1928), who at the time was a professor of zoology at Stanford University. John Van Denburgh (August 23, 1872 - 1924) was a U.S. herpetologist from California. ... 1896 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... 1859 is a common year starting on Saturday. ... 1928 was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Zoology (Greek zoon = animal and logos = word) is the biological discipline which involves the study of animals. ... For other meanings of Stanford, see Stanford (disambiguation). ...

There are five subspecies of Eumeces gilberti: In taxonomy, a subspecies is the taxon immediately subordinate to a species. ...

• Arizona Skink (E.g. arizonensis); Lowe and Shannon, 1954
• Greater Brown Skink (E.g. gilberti); Van Denburgh, 1896
• Northern Brown Skink (E.g. placerensis); Rodgers, 1944
• Variegated Skink (E.g. cancellosus); Rodgers and Fitch, 1947
• Western Red-tailed Skink (E.g. rubricaudatus); Taylor, 1935

(E.g. placerensis got its name from Placer County, California, where it occurs.) Charles Herbert Lowe, Jr (April 16, 1920 _ September 13, 2002) was a U.S. biologist and herpetologist. ... Frederick A. Shannon (1921 - 1965) was a U.S. herpetologist and medical doctor. ... 1954 was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1944 was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... Henry Sheldon Fitch (born December 25, 1909) is a U.S. herpetologist. ... 1947 was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Edward Harrison Taylor (April 23, 1889 - 1972) was a U.S. herpetologist from Kansas. ... 1935 was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Placer County is a county located in Californias Sierra Nevada, in the Gold Country. ...

Together with the Western Skink (E. skiltonianus), the San Lucan Skink (E. lagunensis), and the Four-lined Asiatic Skink (E. quadrilineatus), the Western Skink belongs to the so-called "skiltonianus group". The exact taxonomy within this group is being questioned and may need revision following DNA analysis research. Binomial name Eumeces skiltonianus (Baird and Girard, 1852) The Western Skink (Eumeces skiltonianus) is a small smooth-scaled lizard with relatively small limbs, measuring about 5 to 8 cm (2 to 3 inches) from snout to vent. ... Binomial name Eumeces lagunensis Van Denburgh, 1895 The San Lucan Skink (Eumeces lagunensis) is a skink (a type of lizard) native to Baja California. ... Space-filling model of a section of DNA molecule Deoxyribose nucleic acid (DNA) is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions specifying the biological development of all cellular forms of life (and many viruses). ...

Range and Habitat

Gilbert's Skink occurs mainly in California. It is found in the northern San Joaquin Valley, in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada from Butte County southward, and along the inner flanks of the Coast Ranges from San Francisco Bay to the Mexican border and into northern Baja California. It is also found in the mountains of southern California, and at scattered mountain localities in the eastern desert from Mono County to San Bernadino County. Isolated populations also occur in western Arizona as well as in southern Nevada. State nickname: The Golden State Other U.S. States Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger Official languages English Area 410,000 km² (3rd)  - Land 404,298 km²  - Water 20,047 km² (4. ... The eight-county San Joaquin Valley is the part of the Central Valley of California that lies south of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta in Stockton. ... The Sierra Nevada is a mountain range that is mostly in eastern California. ... Butte County is a county located in Californias Central Valley, north of Sacramento. ... San Francisco Bay, San Pablo Bay, and the Golden Gate The San Francisco Bay is a shallow, productive estuary in which water draining approximately forty percent of California, flowing in the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers from the Sierra Nevada mountains, enters the Pacific Ocean. ... Other Mexican States Capital Mexicali Other major cities Tijuana Ensenada list of municipalities Area 69,921 km² Ranked 12th Population (2000 census) 2,487,700 Ranked 15th Governor (2001-07) Eugenio Elorduy Walther (PAN/PVEM) Federal Deputies (6) PAN = 6 Federal Senators PAN = 2 PRI = 1 ISO 3166-2 Postal... Mono County is a county located in east central California, to east of the Sierra Nevada between Yosemite National Park and Nevada. ... San Bernardino County is the largest county in the United States by area, containing more land than 9 states. ... State nickname: The Grand Canyon State, The Copper State Other U.S. States Capital Phoenix Largest city Phoenix Governor Janet Napolitano Official languages English Only State Area 295,254 km² (6th)  - Land 294,312 km²  - Water 942 km² (0. ... State nickname: Silver State, Battle Born State (official) Other U.S. States Capital Carson City Largest city Las Vegas Governor Kenny Guinn Official languages None Area 286,367 km² (7th)  - Land 284,396 km²  - Water 1,971 km² (0. ...

Gilbert's Skink occurs in habitat ranging from sea level to elevations of about 2200 m (7300 ft). Found in a wide variety of habitats, this lizard is commonest in early successional stages or open areas within habitats in which it occurs, which ranges from grassland to open chaparral or open pine forests. Heavy brush and densely forested areas are generally avoided. The metre (American spelling: meter), symbol: m, is the basic unit of distance (or of length, in the parlance of the physical sciences) in the International System of Units. ... A foot (plural: feet) is a non-SI unit of distance or length, measuring around a third of a metre. ... Chapparal can also mean a US Army surface to air missile system based on the Sidewinder air-to-air missile system. ...

Description

Gilbert's Skink is a heavy-bodied lizard with small legs. Adults are uniformly colored in green, grey, olive or brown. Juveniles have light stripes on the sides and the back enclosing a broad black or brown stripe. This dark stripe stops near base of a waxy-pink tail. The striping fades with growth and maturation. Public domain. ...

This robust skink is seldom seen in the open. It forages through leaf litter and dense vegetation, occasionally digging through loose soil. It is a good burrower and often constructs its own shelter by burrowing under surface objects such as rocks or rotting logs. Females construct nest chambers in loose moist soil several centimeters deep, especially under flat stones.

The reproductive season for this species varies geographically and from year to year depending on local conditions. Little is known about the timing of reproduction, but it is probably similar to the Western Skink. Clutch size varies from 3 to 9 eggs. Binomial name Eumeces skiltonianus (Baird and Girard, 1852) The Western Skink (Eumeces skiltonianus) is a small smooth-scaled lizard with relatively small limbs, measuring about 5 to 8 cm (2 to 3 inches) from snout to vent. ...

External links

• Gilbert's Skink (http://www.werc.usgs.gov/fieldguide/eugi.htm) at the U.S. Geological Survey.
• Gilbert's Skink (http://www.dfg.ca.gov/whdab/html/R037.html) at the California Department of Fish and Game.