Bright blue tail of threatened species spotted on Penticton property

A Penticton woman captured a photo of a western skink last week when it scurried across her property with its signature bright blue tail. It has been almost a decade since Teresa Taylor last spotted one of the elusive reptiles in the South Okanagan. “It streaked across my patio and went under my propane fire pit that has a cover on it,” she said. “I carefully lifted it up and there it was.” The reptiles are not often spotted out in the open as they prefer areas with lots of cover and debris, and hibernate in rocky slopes. The species has a restricted range https://canadianherpetology.ca/species/species_page.html?cname=Western%20Skink , found in south-central BC between Kootenay Lake in the east and Princeton in the west, and south in the western United States. Western skinks are listed as a species of special concern https://species-registry.canada.ca/index-en.html#/species?sortBy=commonNameSort&sortDirection=asc&pageSize=10&keywords=western%20skink both provincially and federally due to threats to its habitat from development, and conservation efforts are ongoing to protect it. READ MORE: Okanagan salamanders, skinks and lizards have some bizarre features https://infotel.ca/newsitem/okanagan-salamanders-skinks-and-lizards-have-some-bizarre-features/it92864 Taylor said she acted quickly and carefully to capture a photo of the skink on July 25. “It was very brief but very rewarding,” she said. “They can be elusive and I feel fortunate to have seen one again.” Western skinks grow up to 20 centimetres in length. The tail remains blue through adulthood. They drop their tails as a defense mechanism against predators and while the tail will grow back over time, it costs the creature energy and can negatively affect its growth. To contact a reporter for this story, email Shannon Ainslie mailto:sainslie@infonews.ca  or call 250-819-6089 or email the editor mailto:news@infonews.ca . You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom mailto:tips@infonews.ca  and be entered to win a monthly prize draw. We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. SUBSCRIBE to our awesome newsletter here https://infotel.ca/newsletter .