The Importance of Vegetation Structure and Artificial Cover for Prairie Skinks (Plestiodon septentrionalis) on Exurban Land

Abstract

Abstract The Northern Prairie Skink (Plestiodon septentrionalis) is listed as endangered and very little is known about habitat use in this semi-fossorial lizard. Much of the research to date has occurred on provincial park lands and federal military lands. This project aimed to define Prairie Skink habitat characteristics on exurban private land, which is defined as low-density rural residential developments, 5 to 20 acres (2 to 8 ha) in size. Prairie Skink presence data were collected using visual encounter surveys in three habitat types found on eight exurban properties in southwestern Manitoba: mowed lawn, gardens–flower beds, and native prairie. At each capture site, and at three other randomly selected sites within 10 m of each capture site, we recorded percent cover of grasses, forbs, small shrubs, bare ground, litter, and cover material. To measure thermal habitat characteristics we placed iButton® temperature loggers in each of the three habitat types. Prairie Skinks were found most commonly in n...