Broad-headed Skink
Martin Dies State Park,
Jasper Co., Texas
16 May 2013
Basking. Very tame for a laticeps.
Found it on a tree trunk hiding between 2 dividing portions of the trunk.
Jason Sharp;
Skidaway Island, Georgia
Jason Sharp;
Sawgrass park, Pinellas County, Florida
Broad-Headed Skink (Plestiodon laticeps) from Snake Road, Illinois
My favorite native skink..The broad-headed skink! (Eumeces laticeps)
This wild skink was basking on a park bench when I found him. He was about 7 inches long.
This tanker truck of a skink was basking in some post-rain sunshine at Grand Bay on 24 March 2012. This was by far the largest broad headed skink I've ever seen. It had to have easily been five to six inches in length --at the very least-- from snout to venter (and not including the tail). Honestly, if it wasn't six inches, it was damn near close... I knew these were large skinks, but this individual took me off guard. Large, robust, and impressively girthy! Wish I could've gotten my hands on it for a solid measurement.
~ janson jones,
http://dusttracks.com.
Note labial scales (5) which differentiates this from P. fasciatus
It's always possible with these guys that this *could* have been an old southeastern five-lined skink, but given the robustness of its head and its overall size, I'm fairly sure this was a broad-headed skink. It was quite large -- larger than I usually see the identifiable southeastern five-lined skinks. A tank of a skink.
~ janson jones,
http://dusttracks.com
Basking on a paved trail.
A Broad-headed Skink on a tree truck in the yard. In this case the size distinguishes it from five-lined skinks
This beautiful juvenile skink was hunting for insects on a front porch. The tail is a striking color, and it would move to one spot, then wave/curl the tail like a cat does. I am not sure how to count labial scales to distinguish this skink as Broad-headed, Common five-lined skink, or SE five-lined skink. Does the one in my photo show 4 or 5?
Broad-headed Skinks, mating
