The Florida sand skink (Plestiodon reynoldsi) has adapted itself to live underground. Florida Sand Skink A Florida sand skink in highlands county Coal skink distributionįurther Reading: 10 red / orange head lizards in the United States. There are northern and southern coal skinks, the one you find in Florida is the southern coal skink. The sides of the head of the male are reddish during spring breeding season, at least in some parts of the range. When in threat, they will go into shallow water and hide under stones to escape their predators.
They prefer wooded hillsides which have plenty of leaf litter and loose stones where they can hide. Males have red on their heads during mating season. These skinks have four lines which run to the tail. Willson via iNaturalistĬoal skinks (Plestiodon anthracinus) can grow up to 7.1 inches (18cm) in total length, including their tails. The mole skink is native to the Southeastern United States.Ģ. They will give their tail if they feel threatened, sometimes playing dead. As they age their tails take on a pinkish coloration, as do regenerated tails.ĭuring mating season, males have orange patterns on their sides. When they are younger, the tails tend to be blue. They have small legs with their tails taking up more than half their total length. They often have two or more lines extending from the head to the tail. These skinks can grow up to five inches (12.7cm) and are brown in color with a touch of pink on their tails. They reach sexual maturity by the age of one. They prefer burring themselves underground. Mole skinks (Plestiodon egregius) are mostly found in sandhills and shrubs. Mole Skink Image by bobbyfingers via iNaturalist Skinks are more scared of you than you are of them, they will try and run for cover or hide in a burrow if approached. Some people may be worried due to the bright color of some of the species, assuming they are dangerous. The good news is that skinks are not poisonous or venomous. They can be found in temperate regions in Northern America. Some have short legs, while others are often confused for snakes, being legless. They are cylindrical in shape, many with cone-shaped heads and long tails that taper. Skinks are secretive ground-dwelling lizards, many will burrow. They are commonly observed on low vegetation and low on tree trunks.There are 9 skinks found in Florida, six are natural to the area, while three have been introduced. crickets, grasshoppers, meal worms, and occasionally earth worms)īlue-tailed Skinks often burrow and build tunnels so they have access to a hole at anytime. It is thought that the bright coloring on the tail is intended to direct the predator's attention to it, instead of the vulnerable body. Females usually keep their blue tail for their whole life, though. As the juvenile males age, they lose their yellowish stripes and their back starts to become a brownish black color, and they begin to grow a reddish color underneath the neck during the mating seasons. When young they have a dark black body with bright yellow stripes leading from the back of the neck down to the meeting of the bright blue tail. When they become frightened they have the ability to pop their tail off and it will continue to wiggle and distract their predator while they run away. Blue-tailed skinks are usually about 4 to 8 centimeters long.
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