Head to head
Coal Skink vs Many-Lined Skink
A coal skink and a many-lined skink belong to the same genus of small, secretive lizards, yet the two settled on strikingly different striping strategies, one stripped down to the essentials, the other piling on considerably more than most of its relatives bother with.
| Coal Skink | Many-Lined Skink | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Plestiodon anthracinus | Plestiodon multivirgatus |
| Stripe count | Two dark lateral stripes | Unusually high number of thin stripes |
| Escape behaviour | Readily enters water | Burrows and hides in debris |
| Habitat | Rocky, wooded hillsides near streams | Short-grass prairie and rocky outcrops |
| Range | Eastern United States | Central and western United States |
| Juvenile tail colour | Bright blue | Bright blue |
| Diet | Insects and spiders | Insects and spiders |
| Conservation status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
Coal Skink vs Many-Lined Skink: common questions
Which skink has more stripes, the coal skink or the many-lined skink?
The many-lined skink has considerably more stripes, carrying an unusually high number of thin lines running the length of its body, a pattern that gives the species its name, while the coal skink carries just two dark lateral stripes, a much simpler pattern by comparison.
Do both of these skinks escape predators by entering water?
Only the coal skink shows this behaviour prominently, readily diving into a stream or pool to escape a threat, a habit tied to its close association with rocky, wooded hillsides near water, while the many-lined skink instead relies more on burrowing into loose soil or hiding beneath rocks and debris in its typically drier prairie and outcrop habitat.
Do the coal skink and many-lined skink live in the same places?
Not usually — the coal skink is native to the eastern United States, generally favouring rocky, wooded hillsides near streams, while the many-lined skink occupies drier short-grass prairie and rocky habitat further west across the central and western United States, meaning their ranges only overlap in limited areas, if at all.