Northern prairie skink - Plestiodon septentrionalis
Northern prairie skink - Plestiodon septentrionalis
5-7 inches total length
Found in open grass covered, rocky hillsides near streams
Active during day
Feed on arthropods, snails and smaller lizards
Interesting fact:
Many skinks are able to autotomize (voluntarily break) their tails to distract predators while they escape. The tail then grows back, but the regrown portion of the tail has no bone, only a rod made of cartilage.