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Five-Lined Skink Remains A Phenomenon In Connecticut's Year Of The Lizard

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - 2012 has been proclaimed the year of the lizard in Connecticut, with the idea being to raise awareness of conservation.

No one's ever gotten a good headcount of Connecticut's Five-lined Skink, the little lizard that is good at hiding under leaves and making itself scarce. The five-inch creature, which is native to Connecticut, is also adept at escaping from its predators, even after it's caught. It moves very quickly, too fast for onlookers to see it.

WCBS 880's Fran Schneidau reports

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"A number of lizards -- and the Five-lined Skink is one of them -- has a tail that will break off at a fairly precise area if it's grabbed by the tail," reptile specialist Al Breisch told WCBS 880's Fran Schneidau.

Breisch says that the broken part of the tail continues to wiggle, thus holding the attention of the predator.

"And while the tail is there wiggling and the predator turns to focus its attention on that, the skink itself can get away to live another day," Breisch said.

Breisch says that sometimes hikers catch a glimpse of the little creatures, but he acknowledges that if they're viewed at all, it's always at a distance. Sightings of the little lizard are so scarce that extinction is feared, and now the Five-lined Skink is on Connecticut's endangered species list.

Do you think you've ever seen a Five-lined Skink? Share your stories and comments below...

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