May 3, 2025

A Broadhead Skink (Plestiodon laticeps), trying to blend in with the ledge it is resting on. You might notice that it is shedding its skin, which happens routinely from time to time.

These skinks eat a wide variety of insects, spiders, snails, small rodents and smaller reptiles including young skinks, hunting for meals in trees and on the ground.

They look similar to Five-lined Skinks (Plestiodon fasciatus), even with the bright blue tail as a juvenile. Size in the adults of the Five-lined are 5 to 8.5 inches while Broadheads are 6 to 13 inches. Adult Five-lined Skinks have a red-orange head during mating season.

The Broadhead Skink is native to the southeast United States and is the largest Skink in that region.

_______________________

If you would like to receive my daily blog posts by email, sign up here!