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Five-lined Skink

Five lined skink is a small to medium-sized species of skink found only in North America. It is a very common lizard in the eastern United States. Adult males are known to be aggressive and territorial during the breeding season.

Scientific Classification
Quick Information

Kingdom	Animalia
Phylum	Chordata
Subphylum	Vertebrata
Class	Reptilia
Order	Squamata
Suborder	Lacertilia
Infraorder	Scincomorpha
Family	Scincidae
Genus	Plestiodon
Scientific Name	Plestiodon fasciatus

Other Names	Red-headed Skink, American Five-lined Skink, Eastern Red-headed Skink
Size	12.5 to 21.5 cm
Color	Uniform brown or olive; juveniles are dark brown to black with white to yellowish stripes on the body and a bright blue tail
Distribution	Southern Ontario, Michigan, eastern New York, Minnesota, Missouri, eastern Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Mississippi, Florida, Louisiana, Texas
Habitat	Partially wooded habitat with plenty of cover, rocky areas, trees, inside walls of buildings
Diet	Spiders, millipedes, crickets, grasshoppers, termites, caterpillars, beetles, beetle larvae, frogs, snails, smaller lizards, newborn mice
Hibernation Fact	Hibernate during winter in small groups under rocks, tree trunks, inside rotting stumps, wood
Predators	Snakes, crows, shrews, hawks, moles, skunks, raccoons, opossums, domestic cats
Breeding Season	May
Mode of Reproduction	Oviparous (egg laying)
Clutch Size	15 to 18 eggs
Incubation Period	24 to 55 days
Reproductive Age	2 to 3 years of age
Average Lifespan	Up to 6 years
IUCN Conservation Status	Not Evaluated