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Northern Prairie Skink (Eumeces septentrionalis)
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Family: Scincidae
Size: 5 to 8.7 in. with tail
Status: Restricted in range but locally common
Description: An adult northern prairie skink has three wide tan stripes running down its back, separated by two fine black lines. Both sides have three pronounced blackish lines that are separated by two thin cream or white stripes. Young have seven tan stripes overlaying blackish bodies and blue-black tails. Their bellies are tan to light gray and unmarked. During breeding, the chins, lips, and throats of males turn bright orange. Prairie skinks prefer open sandy areas in pine-barrens and bracken grasslands, or along sandy stream banks and sandy roadcuts. They construct underground burrows that are used to escape from predators and as shelter at night. Northern prairie skinks are present in high densities in some locations in northwestern Wisconsin. Skinks feast on invertebrates such as crickets, beetles, caterpillars, and spiders.
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