Harmless · Native to the United States

Southeastern five-lined skink

Plestiodon inexpectatus (Taylor, 1932)

Also called Florida five-lined skink
Data updated October 2026

Southeastern five-lined skink on a pine log, showing five narrow pale stripes on a dark body
Fig. 1 — A striped young adult on a pine log. Stripes run from the head onto the tail.
Juvenile southeastern five-lined skink with a black body, yellow stripes and a bright blue tail
Fig. 2 — Juveniles are black with bright stripes and a vivid blue tail.

At a glance

A shiny, striped skink of dry pine woods, sandhills and maritime forest in the Southeast. It looks almost identical to the common five-lined and broad-headed skinks, and the scales under the tail are the surest way to tell them apart. Despite folk tales, it is not venomous.

01

Identification

This is a moderately large, glossy skink with five narrow white, cream, yellow or orange stripes over a black to brown body; the middle stripe is often thinner. Juveniles are black with bright stripes, orange on the head, and a vivid blue tail. As they age, males turn brown or bronze, their stripes fade and they develop a reddish-orange head in the breeding season, while females keep their stripes. The key feature is under the tail: all the scales there are the same size.

  1. 01Even scales under the tail. No enlarged middle row of scales on the underside of the tail, unlike its two look-alikes.
  2. 02Five narrow light stripes. White, cream, yellow or orange over black or brown, running onto the tail.
  3. 03Colors that change with age. Blue-tailed, striped young; brown males with orange heads in spring; striped females.

Commonly confused with

Both look-alikes have a row of enlarged, wider-than-long scales down the middle of the underside of the tail. Broad-headed skinks also have five scales along the upper lip between the nose and the eye. Telling the three apart usually means catching and examining the lizard up close.

02

Size

01 in2 in3 in4 in5 in6 in7 in8 in9 in Typical adult · about 7 in (18 cm)

Adults usually measure 5½ to 8½ inches (14–21.6 cm) in total length; the maximum recorded is about 8½ inches, with a snout-to-vent length of 3½ inches (89 mm). The Virginia record is 7.6 inches (19.4 cm). Males have larger, broader heads than females. Hatchlings are about 1 inch (24–29 mm) from snout to vent.

03

Range & habitat

Southeastern five-lined skink on a fallen log in dry, open pine woods
Fig. 3 — Dry pine and pine-oak woods with plenty of fallen logs suit this skink.

The southeastern five-lined skink is a lizard of southeastern North America. It was first described from Citrus County, Florida. In Virginia it is known from dozens of counties, mostly in the east and southeast, and it also occurs in North Carolina, Alabama and Tennessee, where it ranges from the southeastern Appalachians to the Mississippi River but is poorly mapped.

It prefers drier ground than its relatives: dry pine and mixed pine-hardwood forest, pine-oak sandhills, maritime forest, young pine stands, field and woodland edges, urban woodlots and the areas around sawdust piles and buildings. Look for it on or under fallen trees, logs, bark, stumps, fences and rock piles.

State guides: Florida

04

Diet & predators

This skink is an active daytime hunter of invertebrates. Recorded prey includes ground beetles and other beetles, grasshoppers, wood roaches, caterpillars, spiders such as wolf spiders, and centipedes. Its predators are little studied. In Alabama, introduced fire ants have been linked to declines, mainly by attacking eggs and young.

Feeds on

  • Ground beetles and other beetles
  • Grasshoppers and wood roaches
  • Caterpillars
  • Spiders and centipedes

Preyed on by

  • Introduced fire ants (eggs and young)
  • Other predators are poorly documented
Grasshopper on a leaf
Prey — grasshoppers and other insects.
Fire ant mound on sandy soil
Threat — introduced fire ants attack eggs and young.

05

Behavior & seasons

Southeastern five-lined skinks are active by day and good climbers, though they spend less time in trees than their relatives and usually climb only when threatened. Like other skinks they can drop the tail to distract a predator, and the regrown tail may look different. Breeding males flick their tongues to recognize males of their own species, which helps them avoid needless fights with other skinks.

In Virginia, active skinks have been recorded from early April to mid-December, with juveniles coming out of hibernation later than adults. They spend winter in decaying logs and in cracks in buildings and other structures. In Virginia it has also been called “Taylor’s scorpion lizard,” and, like the common five-lined skink, it is often wrongly believed to be venomous.

06

Reproduction

Mating takes place in spring, likely April and early May in Virginia. Females lay one clutch a year, usually in June or early July, in decaying logs, stumps or under logs, rocks and leaf litter. Clutches range from about 3 to 11 eggs, averaging around 8 in Virginia. The female usually stays with her eggs through the 2- to 8-week incubation. Hatchlings appear from mid-July to early August and fend for themselves right away. Both sexes mature at about 55 mm (2 in) snout-to-vent length.

07

Conservation

The southeastern five-lined skink is not listed under the US Endangered Species Act. Virginia does not consider it a species of special concern because it is widespread and common in pine habitats and even lives in some altered landscapes. Tennessee has little data on its numbers. Heavy urbanization and introduced fire ants are the main threats noted, especially on the Coastal Plain.

Keep reading

Sources

Data updated October 2026 · How we build these pages