Order your copy today!

Prairie Racerunner (Cnemidophorus sexlineatus)

Hold mouse over picture to view a distribution map.

Family: Teiidae

Size: 6-9 in. with tail

Status: Restricted in range and declining

Description: The prairie racerunner, formerly known as the six-lined racerunner, has a slender body with a long tail. Six stripes run from the head onto the tail and are usually colored pale yellow to greenish-yellow. The body has very fine scales that are not shiny, unlike those of the skinks. The tail is covered with rough scales of a uniform gray or brown color. Females and young have white or light gray ventral sides, while males have gray or grayish-blue bellies. As their name suggests, racerunners are extremely fast and have been clocked at nearly 18 mph. They require loose sandy soils for burrowing and live in dry prairies and on south-exposed bluff prairies. They construct burrows to serve as refuges from predators and to aid in thermoregulation. Racerunners rely on their speed and keen sense of smell to locate and capture insects, their primary food.