Have you ever heard of a skink? Or maybe you saw a lizard in Kansas that can fit in your hand with a really long tail and wondered what it is.
The Great Plains skink and blue-tailed skinks are the most popular kinds that you’ll find in Kansas – and here’s more about them.
What is a skink?
A skink is a type of lizard. The skinks we see in our yard here in Kansas are usually pretty small. They lose their tail as a defense mechanism and also bite in defense. They are not poisonous though and have very teeny teeth, so when they bite it is scarier than it is painful or harmful.
Skinks are lizards with round bellies, short stubby legs and very long tails. There are different sizes of skinks. Most around my neck of the woods are the size of Lizzie’s in the picture above. I think we have Great Plains skinks or Northern Prairie Skinks. Some skinks have bright blue tails, others have bright blue tongues!
Here are all the different types of skinks that live in Kansas: (source)
- Family Scincidae – Skinks
- Coal Skink – Eumeces anthracinus
- Five-lined Skink – Eumeces fasciatus
- Broadhead Skink – Eumeces laticeps
- Great Plains Skink – Eumeces obsoletus
- Southern Prairie Skink – Eumeces obtusirostris
- Northern Prairie Skink – Eumeces septentrionalis
- Ground Skink – Scincella lateralis
Blue-Tailed Skink
This is also called a five-lined skink. It has the same body shape and size as the Great Plains skink, but has a remarkable blue tail and straight lines on its body.
It lives all over the United States – from New York to Oklahoma!
Great Plains Skink
The Great Plains skink has what appears to be “dots” on its body instead of straight lines. It also a rounder body and doesn’t have the blue tail like the other one.
Just like the name implies, it’s mostly found in “plains” states like Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas.
Have you ever seen a skink?
Looks a little creepy… my boys would love to play with those!
ok, that is lots of kinds of skinks.
and now i have learned my something new of the day, thank you!
I just can’t get over David’s expression lol
I love David’s face! Thanks for the info; I always thought they were just lizards. 🙂
Ugh — I hate, hate, hate lizards.
But skink is a cool word. 😉
David’s expression is really funny! The blue tongued skinks are what was on Sesame Street – I would not have expected them in Kansas though. I would have thought someplace warmer or more tropical. You learn something new every day!
Very cool! We saw a huge one at the Manhattan Zoo, a couple of weeks ago. Growing up we caught beautiful little shiny dark ones with blue tails. Which by the way popped right off!
I’ve saw several lizards around our yard this year, but I don’t think I’ve ever hear of a “skink” The lizards I’ve spotted lately have been blue, so I guess there could be skinks in Alabama too. Who knows!?
I have baby skinks blue tails mom and dad eat crickets..Does anyone know what baby’s eat must be very small.