Ground Skink

Scincella lateralis

Description:

3 - 5.5 in (7.5 - 14.5 cm). Ground skinks are small, slender lizards with long tails and short legs. They range from golden brown to almost black in coloration but are most often coppery brown with a darker stripe running along each side of the body. The belly is white or yellowish. It has transparent disks on its lower eyelids which means it can see with its eyes closed.

Habitat:

We moved a pile of brush trimmings that had been sitting alongside a retaining wall for a few weeks. I guess, in that time, this skink had made it his home. He moved up into the garden at the top of the wall.