Great Plains skink - Plestiodon obsoletus

Description:

• 6.5-9 inches total length
• Found on open rocky hillsides with low vegetation
• Active during day
• Feed on all kinds of arthropods

Interesting fact:

• When scientists were first describing and naming species in Kansas, the adult and juvenile Great Plains skinks were thought to belong to two different species. Hatchlings are jet black with white speckles on their heads and bright blue tails. As they age, the black recedes to resemble stripes or speckles on a brown lizard.

Range map in Kansas:

More images:

Females guard their eggs in underground burrows. The one below was just beneath a rock. Females do not feed while standing guard duty and so must have high reserves of stored fat before breeding season.