Broadhead Skink (Plestiodon laticeps)

Description: The broad-headed skink is the largest native lizard in the southeast. It reached up to 13 inches in length. It has short legs. Males are larger than females and have olive or brown bodies. During mating, males turn bright orange or red. Females and younger males have stripes down their backs. They are long-lived species, with some individuals known to live up to 8 years.

Range and habitat: They are found throughout the southeast from cypress swamps and moist hardwood forest to pine stands. The perfect habitat includes hollow logs, rotting hardwood, and other herbaceous debris they can use for cover. They are not found in the higher elevation of Tennessee and western Virigina and the southern half of Florida.

Habits: The broad-headed skink has been extensively studied. It is active in late March or April. Although it sometimes basks and forages in leaf litter on the ground, it prefers to live in trees. When scared, it will often run to the top of a tree.

Prey: omnivores – eating insects, arthropods, mammals, lizards, small birds, fruits

Reproduction:  Mating occurs in April and May and females will lay a single clutch of eggs.  A typical clutch is 6-16 eggs. They will often nest in hollow logs, cavities in tree trunks, and under hardwood debris. Females stay with clutch until they hatch.

Conservation status: Some conservation concerns for this species include habitat loss, domestic pets, and herbicides and pesticides, which can disrupt the hormonal activity necessary for reproduction.

Pertinent References:

Gibbons, W., Greene, J., and Mills, T. 2009. Lizards and crocodilians of the southeast. University of Georgia Press.

Account author: K. M. Ford