American Five-lined Skink

Description:

Five to nine inch lizard with five distinctive white to yellowish stripes starting from its head continuing down to its tail. The back color ranges from brown to black and its tail is bright blue in juveniles that continues to fade with age.

Habitat:

These lizards prefer habitats in sunny and dry areas with very sandy soils and grasses or shrubs for cover. Their range extends from the lower peninsula of Michigan and eastern New York to Oklahoma, Nebraska, Florida, and Texas. In Maryland, they are increasing in numbers in Chesapeake Bay areas, on the Coastal Plain of the Western Shore and in Potomac Valley counties west to Allegany.

Notes:

In evasion of various predators, this skink may disconnect its entire tail or a small segment. While its predators are distracted by the disconnected twitching tail, the skink will run to shelter.