Eumeces inexpectatus                                        Photo Fiona Sunquist ©

The southeastern five-lined skink is a large shiny lizard, up to 21 cm (8 in) long.  Females are dark, chocolate brown with five yellowish-white stripes down the back.  Males may be lighter brown with lighter stripes.  In adults the tail is brown to bluish.  In spring, breeding males have orange heads and cheeks.

This is one of Florida’s most common skinks.  It occurs in many types of habitats and is often seen basking on fallen trees, walls, or in piles of trash. It makes it living on the ground, scratching through dead leaves and plants in search of insects.  When alarmed, it vanishes into the dead leaves or sometimes takes to the water.

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