Common Five Lined Skink

  • Common Five-lined Skink
  • Young five-lined skink
    Juvenile Five-lined Skink

Common Five-lined Skink (Formerly Five-lined Skink)

Scientific Name: Plestiodon fasciatus
(Formerly: Eumeces fasciatus)
Family: Scincidae
Return to Lizard Identification

Description & Size


  • Smooth scales
  • Short fore and hind limbs
  • Total length: 11.4-21.5 cm (4.5-8.5 inches)
  • 5 white stripes extend down the back
  • Base color: black (juveniles), brown to olive green (adults)
    • Males: reddish-orange head during breeding season

Habitat


  • Moist woodlands
  • Edges between woodlands and grasslands
  • Under rocks, logs, and leaf litter
  • Occasionally in trees or snags

Diet


  • Terrestrial arthropods
  • Worms

Life History


  • Diurnal
  • Active season: April – October
  • Breeding season: Spring
  • Lays eggs
  • 6-15 eggs per female (Cagle, 1940)
Common Five-lined Skink range