Great Plains Skink

A Great Plains skink is a large, smooth scaled lizard native to the central and southwestern United States. It is the largest skink in its genus, with a record length near 13.8 inches. Adults typically reach 6.5 to 9 inches in total length.

The snout to vent length runs about 4 to 5.5 inches. The tail adds most of the rest.

The scientific name is Plestiodon obsoletus. This species is entirely wild and is not sold or kept as a common pet.

This profile covers what the species actually is in the wild. That includes its size, its diet, and its egg guarding behavior.

It also covers the defensive bite. And it covers the legal and welfare realities for anyone who finds or considers keeping one.

Identification: Size, Color, and Bite Behavior

The body is heavy and cylindrical. It is covered in large, glossy, overlapping scales.

Each scale is edged with a darker border, giving the skin a netted look. Adults are tan, olive, or light brown, with faint darker stripes down the back.

Breeding males often develop an orange wash on the head and chin. The limbs are short and roughly equal in length. The tail is thick at the base and tapers gradually.

Juveniles look almost nothing like adults. Hatchlings are jet black with white or cream flecks on the head. The tail is a bright, iridescent blue.

Early naturalists once described juveniles and adults as separate species. They had not connected the two color forms yet. The blue fades gradually over the first one to two years as the adult tan pattern comes in.

A Great Plains skink bite is a real possibility if one is handled. This species has strong jaws for its size.

A firm pinch can draw a small amount of blood. It is not venomous, and the bite carries no medical risk beyond a startled reaction and a light scrape.

Most wild skinks bite only as a last resort. They try to flee first, or drop into leaf litter, or wedge into a rock crevice. Handling one at all is rarely a good idea, since this species is wild and often legally protected.

Behavior and Daily Habits

The species is diurnal. It forages mainly in the late morning and late afternoon. It retreats to burrows or rock crevices during the hottest midday hours.

Researchers describe the species as shy and secretive. It relies on speed and cover rather than confrontation. Each individual keeps a small home range centered on a burrow system it returns to repeatedly.

The species is active from roughly mid March through early October across most of its range. It then hibernates underground through the colder months.

Skinks use both vision and chemical cues. They flick their tongues to sample scent trails left by other skinks, by prey, and by predators.

Outside the breeding season and egg guarding period, adults are largely solitary. Encounters between two adults are brief and usually end with one retreating.

Like many skinks, this species can shed part of its tail if a predator grabs it. It then regrows a shorter, often duller replacement.

That defense costs stored fat. Regrowth takes weeks, so it is a last resort rather than a first response.

Documented predators include snakes, hawks, and other birds of prey. Skunks, opossums, and even larger lizards such as collared lizards also take this species.

Diet: What Great Plains Skinks Eat in the Wild

These skinks are strict carnivores. They hunt arthropods and small invertebrates rather than eating plant matter. Grasshoppers, crickets, and ground beetles make up a large share of the diet.

Spiders, other insects, and occasional snails or slugs round it out. Prey is located mostly by scent and movement. It is then subdued with the same strong jaws used defensively.

Foraging intensity tracks the daily temperature cycle closely. Skinks feed most actively in the morning and again in late afternoon. That is when the ground has warmed enough for both the lizard and its insect prey to be active.

During the hottest hours, skinks retreat underground to avoid overheating and water loss. Juveniles take smaller prey items, such as tiny crickets and soft bodied insects. They shift to larger grasshoppers and beetles as they grow.

This species is not part of the pet trade. There is no standard captive diet to compare against a feeding schedule.

Zoos and licensed research facilities that hold this species under permit rotate gut loaded crickets, roaches, and mealworms. All are dusted with calcium. That mirrors the arthropod based diet documented in wild populations.

Breeding, Egg Laying, and Maternal Guarding

Mating occurs in April and May, after skinks emerge from winter dormancy. Colorado Parks and Wildlife reports egg laying in June and July, with hatchlings emerging in late July or early August.

A female typically produces one clutch per year. Clutch size ranges from about 7 to 24 eggs, depending on the female’s body size and condition.

Larger, older females tend to lay more eggs. Eggs are deposited in a shallow chamber under a rock or inside a burrow. The site is chosen for stable moisture and temperature.

What sets this species apart from most lizards is the length and intensity of maternal care. The female stays coiled around the clutch through the entire incubation period, roughly 40 days. She continues guarding the hatchlings for one to two more months afterward.

During this time, she does not leave to feed. Females build substantial fat reserves before breeding season to survive the fast. Without those reserves, a guarding female risks her own health.

This guarding behavior deters egg predators, including snakes and small mammals. It also helps regulate humidity around the eggs.

Skink eggs can dry out quickly in loose soil. Females that are disturbed, or that lose too much body condition while guarding, sometimes abandon a clutch.

Researchers cite this as one reason undisturbed rock cover matters for the species. Habitat that removes flat rocks and stable burrow sites can quietly reduce reproductive success. This happens even where adult skinks are still present.

Great Plains Skink Size and Lifespan

A full grown adult measures roughly 6.5 to 9 inches from nose to tail tip. The snout to vent length runs about 4 to 5.5 inches. Adult body mass ranges from about 14 to 40 grams.

Sources differ slightly on exact snout to vent figures, since measurements come from different regional populations. Colorado Parks and Wildlife gives a maximum total length of about 35 centimeters (13.8 inches) and a snout to vent length reaching 14.2 centimeters (5.6 inches). The broad headed skink of the Southeast reaches similar lengths, but this species is the largest in the genus Plestiodon.

Wild lifespan averages around 3 years. Field studies have documented individuals surviving to about 8 years old. Mortality is highest in the first year of life.

Small juveniles face a wide range of predators. Size helps them defend themselves or escape more effectively.

Skinks that survive their first two winters, and reach breeding size, have better odds. They are more likely to reach the upper end of the lifespan range.

Health Threats and Welfare Considerations

Wild adults face the usual pressures of a small ectotherm. These include predation and parasite loads.

Habitat loss from rock removal, grazing changes, and drought also reduce both cover and prey. Internal parasites and mites are documented in wild populations, as in most lizard species.

These parasites are rarely a population level concern outside of habitat disturbance. This is a wild species, not a captive bred pet. Health guidance here differs from a typical care sheet.

Anyone who finds an injured skink should contact a state wildlife agency or a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. Home treatment is a bad idea, since most states restrict who may legally hold native reptiles even temporarily. A reptile veterinarian experienced with native lizards is the right resource if a rehabilitator needs a health assessment.

Zoos and research institutions that hold this species under permit follow routine veterinary oversight, parasite screening, and enclosure hygiene. These follow the same general standards described in this lizard health guide. The routine is adapted here for a fossorial, rock dwelling species rather than an arboreal one.

Legal Status and the Welfare Case Against Keeping Wild Skinks

The species is not part of the commercial pet trade. There is no established captive breeding program supplying the hobby.

It is not listed under CITES. Its IUCN status is Least Concern, meaning it is not considered globally threatened.

Individual states set their own rules for collecting, possessing, or releasing native reptiles. Those rules vary by state and change over time. Some states allow limited personal collection of common native lizards with a valid license and a bag limit.

Others prohibit collection of any native reptile without a scientific or educational permit. Anyone considering picking up a wild skink should check current regulations with their state wildlife agency first. Taking a protected species, or exceeding a bag limit, carries real legal penalties.

Beyond legality, there is a welfare argument against casual collection. Wild caught skinks show stress responses to handling and confinement that captive bred reptiles raised around people do not. A female removed from the wild during breeding season can abandon eggs she would otherwise have guarded successfully.

Zoos and accredited educational programs that display this species work under permits. Casual keeping is discouraged across most of its range for exactly these reasons.

Anyone who wants to keep a skink as a pet has better suited captive bred options. Those are covered in the broader skinks guide and in the skink care guide.

What a Licensed Keeper or Zoo Provides

Facilities that legally hold this species under permit replicate its rocky, semi arid habitat. That means floor space with room to burrow.

Several flat rocks or cork bark pieces get stacked to create crevices. The substrate needs to hold a shallow burrow shape without collapsing. A mix of topsoil and coarse sand works well.

Ground space matters more than height for this fossorial, terrestrial species. A dedicated humid hide over damp substrate supports shedding. In breeding facilities, it also gives a gravid female somewhere to dig an egg chamber.

General fossorial lizard enclosure principles are covered in the skink enclosure guide. The exact dimensions and permit requirements come from the issuing wildlife agency. Standard pet husbandry sources do not cover this species.

Temperature, Light, and Natural Climate

This lizard is active from roughly mid March to early October. The range spans hot Arizona desert edges and cooler prairie country in Kansas and Nebraska.

Ambient conditions vary considerably by region. The species avoids the hottest midday temperatures by retreating underground.

It only emerges to forage when surface conditions are warm but not extreme. Facilities that keep this species under permit provide a basking area in the mid 90s Fahrenheit.

The cool end sits in the low 70s. They also provide full spectrum UVB lighting on a schedule that follows the animal’s natural active season.

Light intensity and duration typically drop during a simulated winter cooling period. General reptile heating and lighting setup follows the same principles used for other terrestrial lizard species.

It is adjusted here for a skink that stays near ground level and under cover. This species rarely basks in the open for long stretches.

Cost: Why There Is No Pet Price for This Species

This skink is not bred or sold commercially. There is no purchase price to quote, and no legitimate seller offering one as a pet. The real cost associated with this species falls on licensed institutions instead.

That includes permit fees through a state wildlife agency and enclosure construction suited to a burrowing lizard. Feeder insect costs run comparable to other insectivorous lizards. Veterinary care from a reptile experienced vet adds to that total.

Readers curious about related natives can compare the broad headed skink, the five lined skink, and the coal skink, all of which are also wild species under state law. Anyone who wants a skink as a pet should look at captive bred species instead.

General feeding and diet costs across skink species are covered in this lizard feeding guide. Insect costs for a lizard of this size are modest next to enclosure and permit costs.

How the Great Plains Skink Compares to Other US Skinks

The Great Plains skink stands out mainly for its size and heavier build. Colorado Parks and Wildlife describes it as locally fairly common yet rarely seen because it is so shy and secretive. Its range also pushes further west and south into arid country than most of its blue tailed relatives.

Anyone comparing species for identification should also weigh scale texture and stripe pattern. Juvenile coloration overlaps heavily across all four species.

Frequently Asked Questions

How big does a Great Plains skink get?

Adults reach about 6.5 to 9 inches in total length and weigh roughly 14 to 40 grams, with a record near 13.8 inches. That makes this the largest skink in its genus. Growth slows considerably after the first two years.

Do Great Plains skinks bite?

Yes, a Great Plains skink bite is a defensive last resort, not an attack. It happens mainly when the animal is grabbed or cornered. The bite can pinch hard enough to break skin but carries no venom.

Can you legally keep a Great Plains skink as a pet?

Check current state wildlife regulations first, since rules on native reptile possession vary widely and change over time. There is no commercial captive bred supply. Any skink offered as a pet under this name should raise questions about its legal origin.

What does a Great Plains skink eat in the wild?

It eats grasshoppers, crickets, beetles, spiders, and other small invertebrates. Hunting happens mainly during the cooler morning and late afternoon hours. Juveniles take smaller prey and shift to larger insects as they grow.

Why are baby Great Plains skinks blue?

Hatchlings are jet black with a bright blue tail. Researchers think the color may draw a predator’s attack toward the tail.

The skink can shed and regrow that tail, protecting the body instead. The blue fades into the adult tan pattern over the first one to two years.

How long do Great Plains skinks live?

Wild individuals average about 3 years, with some documented living to around 8 years old. Survival odds improve sharply once an individual gets through its first two winters. Fewer predators can take a skink once it reaches that size.