Blue Tailed Skink Size: How Big They Get as They Grow

How Big Do Blue Tailed Skinks Get?

Blue tailed skink size lands at 5 to 8.5 inches for a full grown adult. That covers the two most common species, the five lined skink and the southeastern five lined skink. The figure includes the tail, and the tail makes up more than half the total length.

The broadhead skink is the largest of the group. Adults reach up to about 12.75 inches. Males grow noticeably bigger than females.

“Blue tailed skink” is not a species name at all. It is a juvenile color pattern. Several North American skinks in the genus Plestiodon hatch with this look, five or seven pale stripes on a dark body and a vivid blue tail.

Adult size depends on which of those species hatched. Blue tailed skink size is really a range across species. It is not one fixed number.

Hatchling to Adult: Blue Tailed Skink Length by Growth Stage

In the five lined skink, hatchlings measure 2 to 2.5 inches at birth. That is 5 to 6.4 cm. They already show the full striped pattern and blue tail.

Growth from there is steady, not sudden. Wildlife agencies usually report total length, but a Minnesota State University study measured adult five lined skinks at 64 to 67 mm snout to vent, about 2.5 inches of body before the tail. The tail detaches easily and regrows shorter once lost, so snout to vent length is the steadier number when a tail has been dropped.

No source publishes a fixed monthly growth rate for these skinks. Time to maturity is a more useful benchmark. Five lined skink hatchlings reach adult size and start breeding within about 2 to 3 years.

Most wild five lined skinks live no more than 6 years. Nearly all of a skink’s growth happens in its first two or three seasons. Adult blue tailed skink size, in other words, is reached early in a short life.

Which Species Share the Blue Tailed Juvenile Stage, and How Big Each Gets

Four North American skinks commonly hatch with the blue tailed pattern. They are the five lined skink, the broadhead skink, the southeastern five lined skink, and the western skink. Their ranges overlap across the eastern and central United States, with the western skink found further west.

Adult size is one of the clearest ways to tell these species apart. Color alone stops working once the blue tail fades.

The five lined skink and the southeastern five lined skink land in almost the same size class. Length alone will not separate the two. Habitat is more useful: the southeastern species favors dry pine forest and fallen wood, while the five lined skink sticks to moister ground.

The broadhead skink is the outlier by size. It is also the most arboreal of the group. Adults spend much of their life climbing rather than staying on the ground.

Blue Tailed Skink Weight

Weight figures are harder to find than length data, because wildlife agencies track total length instead. The best published numbers come from a 2017 Minnesota State University study that weighed wild adult five lined skinks. Adults from the northern edge of the range averaged 6.7 grams, and adults from a southern population averaged 8.9 grams.

So a full grown five lined skink weighs roughly 7 to 9 grams, about the same as a AAA battery. Blue tailed juveniles weigh a fraction of that. No comparable published weight exists for the broadhead, southeastern five lined, or western skink.

These are slim, small bodied lizards. They are far lighter for their length than a stockier lizard like a bearded dragon.

The broadhead skink is the longest of the four species. It is also the heaviest as an adult. For a legally kept skink, a gram scale that reads to 0.1 g can track condition over time, and a steady or rising weight across seasons is a better welfare check than any single published number.

How the Blue Tail and Body Color Change With Age

Every hatchling in this group starts with a jet black or dark brown body. Stripes run cream to yellow. The tail is a bright, unmistakable blue.

That coloring works as a decoy. Predators strike at the moving blue tail, and the skink detaches it through a process called autotomy. The animal escapes while the tail keeps wriggling on its own.

A regrown tail comes back shorter and grayer than the original. A faded or stubby tail is itself a growth clue.

As a five lined skink matures, the blue tail dulls to gray. That happens more consistently in males than in females. Adult males settle into plain gray or olive coloring, with faint stripes that fade further with age.

Adult males of both the five lined skink and the broadhead skink grow reddish orange heads too. That color intensifies during the spring breeding season. Adult female broadhead skinks keep some striping but lose the blue tail entirely, while adult males lose the stripes as well and turn a uniform brown.

• Bright blue tail, black body, sharp cream stripes: hatchling or young juvenile, any of the four species
• Tail shifting from blue toward gray, stripes still visible: sub adult, typically in its second year
• Gray or olive tail, faint or absent stripes, orange tinted head in males: sexually mature adult

Found a Blue Tailed Skink? What Its Size Tells You

A skink under about 3 inches with a bright blue tail is almost certainly a hatchling. It is likely a young juvenile from this past breeding season. East of the Rockies, that is most likely a five lined skink.

One in the 5 to 8.5 inch range with a graying tail is an adult. East of the Rockies it is likely a five lined or southeastern five lined skink, and west of them a western skink of similar size. Anything approaching a foot long with an orange head is a broadhead skink.

Size and tail color together are the fastest field identification method. Neither requires handling the animal.

These are wild, native lizards. The size and color cues above are meant for identification, not for bringing one home. Readers can see the blue tailed skink care page for what a legally kept animal needs, and the skink size comparison guide for how this group compares with other skinks.

Law and Welfare: Collection Rules Vary by State

Whether it is legal to catch and keep a wild blue tailed skink depends entirely on the state. The rules are not consistent across the country. Connecticut lists the five lined skink as a state threatened species and protects it under state wildlife regulations.

Connecticut wildlife officials advise observing any skink from a distance. They recommend leaving it in place. Other states classify these skinks as common and unprotected, so it always pays to check current regulations before assuming collection is allowed.

Even where collection is legal, wildlife agencies recommend leaving wild skinks where they are found. A wild caught animal carries stress from capture and an unfamiliar diet and climate. Releasing a captive bred or pet store skink back into the wild afterward risks spreading disease to native populations, a concern state agencies raise specifically.

The safest approach for a healthy wild population is simple. Enjoy the skink where it lives. If a captive skink is wanted, source one bred in captivity rather than one pulled from a yard or woodpile.

Frequently Asked Questions

How big is a full grown blue tailed skink?

It depends on the species, but most measure 5 to 8.5 inches including the tail. The broadhead skink is the exception, reaching close to 13 inches. Adult males of that species grow considerably larger than adult females.

How fast do blue tailed skinks grow?

No source publishes a monthly growth rate. Five lined skinks reach adult size and begin breeding within about 2 to 3 years of hatching. Wild five lined skinks rarely live past 6 years, so most of an individual’s growth happens in its first two breeding seasons.

How much does a blue tailed skink weigh?

Adult five lined skinks weighed in a Minnesota State University study averaged 6.7 grams in the north and 8.9 grams in a southern population. Juveniles weigh a fraction of that. The broadhead skink, as the largest species, is the heaviest, but no published average exists for it.

Why did my skink’s blue tail turn gray?

The blue color naturally dulls to gray as the animal matures. That change links to sex hormones, not diet or environment. If the tail was ever lost and regrown, the replacement also comes in shorter and grayer than the original.

Is it legal to catch a blue tailed skink?

It depends on the state. Connecticut protects the five lined skink as state threatened and asks residents not to capture wild individuals. Other states treat the species as common, so checking that state’s current wildlife regulations is the only reliable way to know.

Can you tell a juvenile from an adult by size alone?

Size is a strong clue, but color works alongside it. A skink under 3 inches with a vivid blue tail and sharp stripes is a juvenile. One in the adult length range with a gray tail, and in males an orange tinted head, has already matured.