The Tale of Y

  Last week, my sweet daughter-in-law noticed that we had a lovely, albeit unusual, skink by the front door.  Joanna pointed out that the skink had two tails or at least an odd growth on its tail.   I had seen the lizard before but got nothing more than a quick glance.  The skink was fast to hide either under the steps or in the hollow tree nearby. Sweet Joanna, however, was able to get close enough to the lizard to describe the tail in detail!  By her description, the tail was more of a crooked Y than actually two tails. I needed to photograph the lizard so I could get a better view.

  Then a young friend of the family came calling.  "You have a two-tailed skink!" he said excitedly.  Christopher has been a life-long friend of Son's so he feels free to roam about the place.  Before he even announced his arrival at the Little Bayou House, he had already tried to capture the skink.  "He is quick and ran into the hollow tree."  Yep, that is my skink!  I really had to get a picture of that critter.

  This morning, Mark called my attention to the bizarre lizard.  This time, the skink did not dart away but sat on the steps as I photographed it.  Joanna was right.  The tail is not actually two tails but rather a rather pointy growth on the side of the original tail.  How did that happen??  Well, there are two scenarios that may have occurred.  One the tail was deformed while the skink was still in the egg.  Something could have damaged the egg slightly yet abruptly enough to disrupt the growth process.  Since lizards (skinks included) regenerate lost tails, this could happen even as the young skink is developing.  Once the tiny lizard emerged from the egg, the tail was already shaped.  Another possibility is that somewhere, somehow the lizard was hurt by a predator.  The "drop" mechanism kicked in and its tail was partially pulled off.  The "regenerate" message was processed and a new tail started to form at the injury site.  

  While a bit ungainly, the lizard will not feel any ill results from its unusual tail.  Obviously, the skink can still hunt as it is growing quite large.  It hunts by both day and night and has decided the front step is a delightful home.  I am elated as I love the skinks and their voracious appetites!  Bugs beware!  My Y-tailed Skink is on the loose and will hunt you down if you darken my doorway!