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Plestiodon fasciatus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Common Five-lined Skink
American Five-lined Skink
Northern Five-lined Skink
Florida native
Common five-lined skinks are found mainly north of I-4 in Florida. The range extends throughout the eastern United States and into Ontario.
This small to medium-sized lizard can be from 12.5-21.5cm (~5 to 8-1/2 in) long, including the tail. They start out dark brown to black with five white to yellowish stripes running along the body with a bright blue tail. The markings tend to fade with age, with females more likely to retain the bright blue tail color.
Plestiodon fasciatus is a member of the Scincidae - Skinks family.
Other species of the Plestiodon genus in the Wild Florida Photo database:
Plestiodon inexpectatus - SOUTHEASTERN FIVE-LINED SKINK
Plestiodon laticeps - BROAD-HEADED SKINK
iNaturalist profile for this species
Date record last modified: Sep 29, 2026
