About Scincella gemmingeri (Cope, 1864)
Like all species in the genus Scincella, Scincella gemmingeri has a long, cylindrical body with short limbs. This skink is dark gray in color, with a dark stripe that starts at the snout and extends along the dorsolateral side of its body. Its maximum recorded snout-vent length (SVL) is approximately 45 mm, equal to 1.8 inches. Scincella gemmingeri is native to coastal areas of the Mexican state of Veracruz, as well as multiple surrounding Mexican states. As its common name, forest ground skink, suggests, this species lives primarily in forests. Specific forest types it inhabits include rainforests, oak forests, cloud forests, and tropical evergreen forests, found at altitudes ranging from 200 to 2,000 m (660 to 6,560 ft). It can also sometimes be found on pastureland. Scincella gemmingeri reproduces via ovoviviparity.
