This adult Western Skink has a dull colored tail compared to the bright blue tails younger individuals have. The reason the tail is dull is to make their tail less distracting as the importance of the tail as an energy storage system increases.

Curious About … Western Skink?

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Welcome to the first Curious About guest blogger, herpetologist, Torsten Watkins. Torsten introduces the Western Skink (Plestiodon skiltonianus), or blue-tailed lizard.

Torsten Watkins
Torsten Watkins

Hello, my name is Torsten Watkins and I consider myself a herpetologist (someone who studies reptiles and amphibians), even though I am only 13. I’ve been studying herpetology for around 4 years now. I have written a field guide on the reptiles and amphibians of Chelan county.  I discovered and reported the ‘first’ Northern Desert Night Snake in the Wenatchee area.  I help with the reptile and amphibian lecture and lab for the Wenatchee Naturalist course. You can usually see me surveying the hillsides and rocks in the foothills for the various herpetofauna that reside there.  Visit my You-tube channel Iridophore for more Herpetofaunal education! Check our my 4/2/2020, Facebook interview with the North Central Regional Library about reptiles and amphibians.

This adult Western Skink nipped me a few times before it calmed down for a photo. Other defenses include pooping on you,and dropping their tails.
This adult Western Skink nipped me a few times before it calmed down for a photo. Other defenses include pooping on you,and dropping their tails.

To tell the Western Skink from some of our other lizard species, look for the striped pattern on their back with a large brown stripe bordered by a smaller black stripe and a white stripe bordered by a larger black stripe. Western Skinks are small lizards, only reaching sizes of 3 inches from their snout to their tail base, their tail being the majority of their body length.

Western Skinks have multiple detachment points on their tails allowing them to drop their tails wherever is needed. That is why this little skink still has some of his pretty blue tail left.
Western Skinks have multiple detachment points on their tails allowing them to drop their tails wherever is needed. That is why this little skink still has some of his pretty blue tail left.

These active little lizards are often characterized by their vibrantly colored blue tail, but this beautiful coloration is partly temporary and fades with age with old individuals usually have a dull brown tail instead of the pretty blue they once had in their younger years. This bright color is meant to distract any predators from their more important parts and onto their detachable tail.

This adult Western Skink has a dull colored tail compared to the bright blue tails younger individuals have. The reason the tail is dull is to make their tail less distracting as the importance of the tail as an energy storage system increases.
This adult Western Skink has a dull colored tail compared to the bright blue tails younger individuals have. The reason the tail is dull is to make their tail less distracting as the importance of the tail as an energy storage system increases.

When the tail is detached it wiggles around violently to distract the predator more and let the lizard make a sneaky escape. But don’t worry, the tail will regrow over time. The reason why adults lose their color overtime is because their tails are very important for storing energy for things like laying eggs and protecting territories, so if they lose their tails it could be detrimental to their reproductive abilities.

This is the dropped tail of a Western Skink. Although you can’t see it in the picture, the tail wiggled around violently. This is meant to distract the predator. Notice how the tail broke into two different pieces.
This is the dropped tail of a Western Skink. Although you can’t see it in the picture, the tail wiggled around violently. This is meant to distract the predator. Notice how the tail broke into two different pieces.

Western Skinks like sunny hillsides with various shrubs and rocks to hide, bask and forage in. Because of their elongated body, they often look like they are slithering like a snake when they move around and they easily slip through shrubbery. This species is an avid burrower and often quickly burrows through loose soil to escape from predators. They are more commonly found basking and foraging through shrubs during warm, sunny weather and are easily spooked into hiding. They stalk through shrubbery for small invertebrates like crickets, flies, beetles, grasshoppers, and caterpillars.

This is optimal Western Skink habitat. Note the sparsely vegetated sunny hillside with many rocks to hide under. I often find them under rocks near shrubs that they can quickly escape
This is optimal Western Skink habitat. Note the sparsely vegetated sunny hillside with many rocks to hide under. I often find them under rocks near shrubs that they can quickly escape

Out of all the lizards in Washington, only the Western Skink watches after its eggs. After courtship in May or June female Western Skinks find a good spot under a rock or a piece of wood and burrow out a flask shaped burrow for their eggs. The females then stay with their eggs until they hatch only leaving to bask. After the eggs hatch around August the female stays with them for a little longer until they disperse.

Thankfully for this species they are considered least concern by the IUCN Red List and have no major conservation threats. Learn more about all reptiles and amphibians from the Pacific Northwest at CaliforniaHerps.com. 

This Western Skink recently dropped its tail and is trying to find a loose spot in the soil to quickly burrow away from me. They can disappear in seconds
This Western Skink recently dropped its tail and is trying to find a loose spot in the soil to quickly burrow away from me. They can disappear in seconds

If you want to observe these interesting little lizards, try to plan a hike during a warm (above 55 degrees) and sunny day. Try to plan your course to pass by rocky, shrubby hillsides. Scope out the shrubs that border the trail and listen closely, I often only find them by first hearing them foraging in the shrubs. If that doesn’t work try to flip rocks partially submerged in the ground and wooden boards that are slightly moist underneath. If you resort to this however, please make sure to place the rock and/or board back in place exactly how you found it. The fragile microhabitats under surface debris can easily be destroyed without careful attention. If you manage to flip a lizard, try to refrain from catching it as they often drop their tails to escape and as mentioned above, this can cause major energy storage problems for the lizard and it will take them around a year to regain that. Instead try to block them from escaping into the shrub or into loose soil, as that is their first resort. If you need to catch the lizard, try to catch it by its body. I must warn you they do nip! They are very fast too!