The Great Plains skink (''Plestiodon obsoletus'')''Plestiodon obsoletus''
The Reptile Database is a species of

lizard Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most oceanic island chains. The group is paraphyletic since it excludes the snakes and Amphisbaenia alt ...

endemic to

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

Description

The Great Plains skink, together with the

broad-headed skink The broad-headed skink or broadhead skink (''Plestiodon laticeps'') is species of lizard, endemic to the southeastern United States. The broadhead skink occurs in sympatry with the five-lined skink (''Plestiodon fasciatus'') and Southeastern f ...

, is the largest

skink Skinks are lizards belonging to the family Scincidae, a family in the infraorder Scincomorpha. With more than 1,500 described species across 100 different taxonomic genera, the family Scincidae is one of the most diverse families of lizards. Ski ...

of the genus ''

Plestiodon ''Plestiodon'' is a genus of lizards in the family Scincidae (skinks). The genus contains many species formerly classified under the genus ''Eumeces'', except those now placed in ''Mesoscincus''. They are secretive, agile animals with a cylindr ...

''. It reaches a length of 9 to 13 cm from snout to vent (SVL) or up to nearly 34 cm total length (including the tail). This

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.

Geographic range

The Great Plains skink is very common on the

Great Plains The Great Plains (french: Grandes Plaines), sometimes simply "the Plains", is a broad expanse of flatland in North America. It is located west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains, much of it covered in prairie, steppe, an ...

, ranging from southeastern Wyoming and Nebraska (and also Fremont County, Iowa) southward to eastern Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and into Mexico.

Habitat

This skink lives in open plains habitat or the eastern foothills of the Rocky Mountains, in areas near water, e.g. irrigation ditches. In southeastern Colorado, it occurs in elevation up to about 1900 m (7200 ft); in northern Colorado, only at elevations below about 1400 m (4500 ft).

Reproduction

The mating season of the Great Plains skink is in April or May. The female lays between 5 and 32 eggs (on the average about 12) in early summer, which she guards until they hatch in late summer.Collins, J.T. (1993). ''Amphibians and Reptiles in Kansas, Third Edition.'' University Press of Kansas. Lawrence, Kansas.

References

* Baird, S.F., and C.F. Girard. 1852. Characteristics of some New Reptiles in the Museum of the Smithsonian Institution. Second Part. ''Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia'' 6: 125-129. (''Plestiodon obsoletum'', p. 129.) * Behler, J.L., and F.W. King. 1979. ''The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians''. Knopf. New York. 743 pp. . (''Eumeces obsoletus'', p. 575 + Plate 432.) * Boulenger, G.A. 1887. ''Catalogue of the Lizards in the British Museum (Natural History). Second Edition. Volume III. Lacertidæ, Gerrhosauridæ, Scincidæ,...'' Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers.) London. xii + 575 pp. + Plates I. XL. (''Eumeces obsoletus'', p. 374.) * Conant, R. 1975. ''A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Second Edition''. Houghton Mifflin. Boston. xviii + 429 pp. (hardcover), (paperback). (''Eumeces obsoletus'', p. 125, Figure 28 + Plate 19 + Map 79.) * Smith, H.M., and E.D. Brodie Jr. 1982. ''Reptiles of North America: A Guide to Field Identification''. Golden Press. New York. 240 pp. . (''Eumeces obsoletus'', pp. 80–81.) * Stebbins, R.C. 2003. ''A Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians, Third Edition''. The Peterson Field Guide Series ®. Houghton Mifflin. Boston and New York. xiii + 533 pp. . (''Eumeces obsoletus'', pp. 310–311 + Plate 36 + Map 109.)

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