Author: Deb L Waters

A Church’s Guest

Plestiodon fasciatus

The Plestiodon fasciatus, also known as the American Five-lined Skink, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to North America. It is one of the most common lizards in the eastern U.S. and one of the six native species of lizards in Canada.

Calling it the American five-lined skink to distinguishes it from the African skink Trachylepis quinquetaeniata (otherwise known as five-lined mabuya).

They are small to medium in size, growing to approximately 12.5 to 21.5 centimetres (4.9 to 8.5 in) total length (including tail). The young American Five-lined skinks are dark brown to black with five distinct white to yellow stripes (this one’s are yellowish) running along the body and a bright blue tail. The blue color fades to light blue with age, and the stripes also may slowly disappear.

The range of the American Five-lined skink extends in the north to southern Ontario, Michigan and eastern New York. The western border is in Minnesota, Missouri and eastern Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana, Tennessee and Texas. 

P. fasciatus is inclined to be most abundant on the coastal plain in the southeastern United States and along the Gulf Coast.

The American Five-lined skink is a ground-dwelling animal. It prefers moist, hardwood areas with a permanent water source such as rivers or streams, as well as sites to bask in the sun. [The church this skink visited sits along the South Fork Catawba River, so it didn’t have to wander to far to meander inside.]

The common five-lined skink’s diet consists primarily of a variety of arthropods, particularly spiders, crickets, beetles and other insects. However, they have been reported to also eat newborn mice, frogs, and other lizards. [Tiny frogs, beetles, spiders, and other insects are easily found along the banks of the South Fork Catawba River, easy feasts for skinks].

Monday Portrait

Photo Credit:©️2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

Camera: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max

Location: Cramerton Independent Presbyterian Church; Eighth Avenue; By the South Fork Catawba River; Cramerton, North Carolina, USA

God Bless. Get Outdoors. Enjoy Nature. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.