Which Skink Is It?

August 10, 2026

Striking a pose for my camera, a skink is captured in pixels scampering outside my cabin. This is either a Common Five-lined Skink (Plestiodon fasciatus) or a Broad-headed Skink (Plestiodon laticeps). At this stage in their lives, it is quite a challenge to distinguish one species from the other.

Whatever the species, they are entertaining to have running up and down the cedar siding here, hunting for many things including, spiders, crickets, beetles, grasshoppers, caterpillars, termites, millipedes and even newborn mice.

Charming little creatures eating things that I would rather not have around.

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Published by

Brenda Clements Jones

Brenda is a certified Virginia Master Naturalist, a Habitat Defender for Shenandoah National Park, and a devoted fan of Mother Nature. She lives in a cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Shenandoah National Park, and hikes up to the higher elevations of her mountain often to see what nature is up to. Her constant hiking companion is a camera that captures nature as it unfolds through the seasons. It’s her goal to share the natural world around her through her photographs.

2 thoughts on “Which Skink Is It?”

  1. iN HOT/HUMID KANSAS CITY, MY FRONT YARD HAS A DENSE STAND OF VARIGATED IVY UNDER WHICH LOTS OF SKINKS RESIDE. DELIGHTFUL TO WATCH AND NOTE THAT THERE ARE FEW ANT NESTS IN THE AREA.

    1. Oh Sharon! Aren’t they cute little critters! And did you know about their tail which might get chomped off by a predator (and keep jiggling) which might even grow back? Amazing!
      So very glad you read my posts.
      Bren

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