Reptiles
Mole Skink
Plestiodon egregius · also called mole skinks
Beneath a patch of loose coastal sand, a juvenile mole skink flashes a bright pink tail as it disappears from view, a colour it will lose entirely long before it stops spending most of its life underground.
Overview
The mole skink, Plestiodon egregius, is a small, burrowing lizard native to sandy scrub and coastal dune habitat across Florida and adjacent parts of the southeastern United States. Its underground, mole-like lifestyle and the vivid pink tail of its juveniles make it a distinctive, if rarely seen, member of the skink family.
A lizard built for life underground
Spending most of its time beneath the surface of loose sand, the mole skink trades visibility for safety, only occasionally surfacing in a habitat where a bright juvenile tail briefly stands out before adulthood fades it away entirely.
Status
Least Concern — widespread and stable across suitable sandy habitat throughout Florida and adjacent southeastern states.
Mole Skink: common questions
Why does a young mole skink have a pink tail?
Juvenile mole skinks display a strikingly bright pink or reddish tail, a colouration that likely helps direct a predator's attack toward the tail rather than the body, and the colour fades considerably as the lizard matures into a less conspicuous adult.
Why is it called a mole skink?
The mole skink gets its common name from its burrowing lifestyle, spending much of its life moving through loose sandy soil in a manner comparable to how a mole tunnels underground, a habit supported by its smooth, glossy, cylindrical body shape.
What happens if a mole skink loses its tail?
A mole skink can voluntarily detach its tail when grabbed by a predator, with the discarded tail continuing to wriggle briefly as a distracting decoy, and while the skink can regrow a replacement tail afterward, the new one is typically shorter and less vividly coloured than the original.
Where does the mole skink live?
The mole skink is native to sandy scrub, coastal dune, and grassland habitat primarily across Florida and adjacent parts of the southeastern United States, generally favouring loose, easily burrowed sandy soil.