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 Photo courtesy of Lauren Livo and Steve Wilcox

Variable Skink

(Eumeces gaigeae)

  Identification: Upper side of adults light to dark olive brown with two dark-edged white stripes along back; upper scales smooth, shiny, tightly overlapping, with rounded rear edge; scales on sides of body (midway between limbs) in horizontal rows; tail (if never broken) 1.5–2.0 times as long as head and body; maximum size about 19 cm (7.5 inches) total length and 7.3 cm (2.9 inches) snout-vent length.  

Mature male: lips orange or reddish during breeding season.  

Hatchling: tail bright blue; upper side dark with three bold light stripes.   

Colorado Distribution: Montane areas of southwestern and south-central Colorado, including the San Luis Valley, at elevations up to abput 8,500 feet. Secretive; spotty distribution; hard to find in most areas.    

Habitat: Rocky grassy slopes in forested areas with ponderosa pine; edges of rocky canyons; piñon-juniper woodland; mountain streamsides; oak thickets; flat, sandy tracts with scattered shrubs (e.g., greasewood-rabbitbrush) (San Luis Valley). Seldom seen away from cover; usually underground or under objects such as rocks, logs, or trash; difficult to find when surface conditions are hot and dry.   

Life History: Females lay eggs apparently in late June or early July. They attend the eggs until after hatching. Hatchlings appear in August.   

Note: This skink is generally considered to be a subspecies of the many-lined skink (Eumeces multivirgatus gaigeae or Eumeces multivirgatus epipleurotus). Research on genetic variation is needed to determine whether this skink is a distinct species.