Hunter and I have gone to the High Desert Museum a few times this year and I learned something about this dude. There is a little glass enclosure by the lizards & snakes that shows “Western Skink” on the sign but I have never seen the animal that inhabits the little glass box. The first time I saw it I could not remember the name by the time I left - let alone when I got home. This last time I got smart and took a picture of the sign so I could check it out 
.
Sure enough, this is a Western Skink and…
Western Skink
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The western skink (Plestiodon skiltonianus) is a species of small, smooth-scaled lizard with relatively small limbs. It measures about 100 to 210 mm (about 4 to 8.25 inches) in total length (body + tail). It is one of five species of lizards in Canada. Western skinks are very adaptable. They spend much of their day basking in the sun. Their diet ranges widely, including spiders and beetles. Western skinks will bite if grasped and will flee if they feel threatened. It is a common but secretive species whose range extends throughout Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming and into western Montana and northern Arizona.[2] It is widespread in northern California but restricted to the coast in central and southern California. Found in a variety of habitats, this lizard is most common in early successional stages or open areas of late successional stages. Heavy brush and densely forested areas are generally avoided.[3] Western skinks are found from sea level to at least 2,130 m (7,000 ft).[4] This diurnal reptile is active during the warm seasons.[3]
I had never seen one of these before moving to Bend and I think the house on Wallace Road must have been the perfect habitat for them. It was always a little damp with lots of bugs and spiders. Thankfully we moved closer to town and left these little boogers behind!
Unfortunately I found this inside the lid to the sprinkler control at the new house….
We never used to have these slugs on this side of the mountain. What in the world happened? I saw one of these out in the driveway when we first moved here but it was only about an inch long. This one is about 3” long……yuck!
This one reminds me of the ginormous slug we saw in Crescent City when we visited the Redwoods in July of 2008. This bad boy was as big as a banana.
Ok then…I think I have all the slimy, nasties out of my system now. It’s kind of like they say about a cold….it won’t go away until you give it to someone! In case you cannot get enough I have attached a link to the Google images of slugs.
Enjoy!
