Blue Tailed Skink

Description:

The Five-lined Skink is a common lizard. They grow up to eight inches long, with males growing slightly larger than females. They are usually black or dark brown, with five light stripes down their backs. Stripes fade as the skink gets older, so adults may look all brown. Male adult Five-lined Skinks often have bright orange jaws during the breeding season. Young skinks have very clear stripes and a bright blue tail. Females may keep a very full bluish-gray tail as they age, but males' tails will turn brown.

Habitat:

Five-lined Skinks are diurnal, so they are active during the day. They like to crawl out on rocks or logs to bask (soak up heat from the sun) during the day.

Notes:

Five-lined Skinks mate in the Spring and females will dig a nest under a log, stump, or rock. She will lay up to a dozen eggs, which will hatch between June and August, depending on when they were laid. Females will stay with their eggs until they hatch. She will also eat any unhatched eggs. Young Five-lined Skinks are about two inches long when born. They are also always looking for a meal. Five-lined Skinks eat mostly insects, including: crickets, grasshoppers, beetles, and caterpillars. They also eat spiders, earthworms, snails, slugs, isopods, other lizards, and small mice. Five-lined Skinks will often climb dead trees where there are a lot of insects. Predators of these lizards include Raccoons, Red Foxes, Virginia Opossums, snakes, and hawks.