The Great Plains Skink (Eumeces obsoletus) is - together with the Broad-headed Skink - the largest skink of the genus Eumeces. This lizard is light gray or beige in color; its dorsal scales have black or dark brown edges. The scales on the sides run diagonally. The belly is yellow. Juveniles are black with white sports on the lips and the head and have a blue or bluish tail. Skinks are terrestrial (living on land) and accomplished burrowers, often forming dugouts under rocks or similar cover where they spend most of the time.
Ten Facts about Great Plains Skink
- Great Plains Skinks grow to a total length of 6 1/2 - 9 inches.
- They can be found in Central and southern United States, and northern Mexico.
- In the wild, they eat insects, spiders, and snails. In the zoo, our skinks eat crickets, mealworms, grasshoppers, and earthworms.
- Great Plains Skinks begin breeding in May. The female will burrow deep beneath a large boulder and lay 5-35 eggs.
- She will stay with the eggs to incubate them. After the eggs hatch, she will clean the hatchlings and guard them from predators.
- The young take several years to reach maturity. They can live up to 6 years.
- Great Plains Skinks spend most of their time lying underneath sun-warmed rocks, where they are protected from predators.
- If they are disturbed, their tail will break off very easily. The skink can escape while its enemy is distracted by the discarded tail.
- They have powerful jaws, and can inflict a painful bite when handled.
- Predators includes racers (snakes), broad-winged hawks, and several small mammals.
