Not seeing a Scroll to Top Button? Go to our FAQ page for more info.
Home > Skinks > Five-lined Skink

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.



    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

    Five-lined Skink Pictures Gallery

    Published on November 16th 2016 by under Skinks. Article was last reviewed on 7th June 2019.

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *