Four-lined Skink

About the Four-lined Skink

The four-lined skink (Plestiodon tetragrammus) is a species of lizard, which is endemic to North America. It is a medium-sized member of the Plestiodon skinks. At least two subspecies are recognized, including the nominotypical subspecies:

Long-lined skink, P. t. tetragrammus Baird, 1859 Short-lined skink, P. t. brevilineatus (Cope, 1880) Some herpetologists also consider the mountain skink (Plestiodon callicephalus) to be a subspecies of Plestiodon tetragrammus under the name P. t. callicephalus. Others, however, prefer to treat the mountain skink as a distinct species because its range is geographically distinct and there are morphological differences.

The two subspecies can be distinguished by their color and their stripes. The long-lined skink is gray to light brown in color and has light stripes from the eyes extending to beyond its forelegs, whereas the short-lined skink is darker in color and has stripes that end before the forelegs.

Juveniles of both subspecies have — like many Plestiodon — a blue tail; this color fades with age. Adults reach a maximum SVL (Snout-Vent-Length) of some 7.5 cm (about 3 inches), and a TL (total length) of about... Wikipedia →