The Western Skink is from the order Squamata. Species from this order are amphisbaenians, lizards or snakes. There are over 6,000 living species belonging to the squamata order - it is the largest order of all reptiles.
©Michael A. Peters
Notice that this skink has lost it's tail multiple times. Western Skinks are very good at twitching their tails so that predators that key in on motion go for the tail allowing the skink to escape. Redding, CA.
Habitat Shots ...
Great Basin Skink (Plestiodon skiltonianus utahensis)
Western Skink (Plestiodon skiltonianus)
Lizards Around Las Vegas, Wildlife Around Las Vegas ...
Western skinks can grow to over 20 cm in length and have black brown and beige stripes from nose to tail. Juveniles have a bright blue tail that eventually turns grey.
Young western skinks and some related species have amazingly bright blue tails. The general consensus is that this attracts the attention of predators towards the disposable tail and away from the significantly less disposable head and body.
Western Skink
Related or Similar California Lizards
P. g. cancellosus - Variegated Skink
P. g. gilberti - Greater Brown Skink
P. g. placerensis - Northern Brown Skink
P. g. rubricaudatus - Western Red-tailed Skink
P. s.
Both Northern and Southern Alligator Lizards often found co-existing at same sites with Western Skinks ( Rutherford and Gregory 2003) ...
Five lined Skink (E. fasciatus)
Gilbert's Skink (E. gilberti)
Broad-headed Skink (E. laticeps)
Great Plains Skink (E. obsoletus)
Prairie Skink (E. septentrionalis)
Western Skink (E. skiltonianus)
Four lined Skink (E. tetragrammus) ...
 See also: Skink, Reptile, Lizard, Snake, Turtle
  
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