6 Species of Skinks You Can Find in South Carolina

South Carolina is home to a fascinating and often misunderstood creature: the skink. Though they may resemble serpents, skinks are actually lizards that play an important role in the state’s ecosystem. These creatures are beneficial to humans as they help control the populations of pests such as moths, crickets, and cockroaches.

Skinks found in South Carolina are completely harmless and do not produce any venom, but they can bite if provoked or feel threatened. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at these amazing lizards and explore their behavior, characteristics, and their unique place in the state’s wildlife.

6 Skinks in South Carolina

Skinks are somewhat mysterious creatures that are often confused with snakes. Their bodies are long and slender, and they have tiny legs that are often hard to see at first glance. Because they move so fast and their legs are so small, it can often appear as if these creatures are slithering on their bellies. While they do look similar, skinks are lizards, not snakes.

1. Five-Lined Skink

Scientific Name: Plestiodon fasciatus

The five-lined skink is common in most areas of South Carolina and can be found both in trees and on the ground. They also thrive in a wide array of habitats, but are more likely to be found underneath tree bark and logs than they are in the wide open.

The five-lined skink measure between 5 and 8 inches long with a brown, black or gray body. They consume various insects, invertebrates, and spiders.

Five-lined skinks breed once a year, and the female of the species will lay their eggs between the months of May and July. They typically lay about 15 eggs, which take 24 to 55 days to incubate. The five-lined skink takes 2 to 3 years to reach maturity.

2. Ground Skink

Scientific Name: Scincella lateralis

The Ground skink is found in just about any type of habitat, but prefers a wooded area that is open and has an abundance of leaf litter. This species of skink measures 3 to 5 ½ inches long and is black to golden brown in color.

They will have a dark stripe that runs down each side of their body. As their name suggests, ground skinks don’t climb often and like to stick to the ground.

Female ground skinks lay between 1 and 7 eggs at a time, and they can even lay 5 clutches in one year. These eggs typically hatch in 22 days, but may take a little longer depending on the weather and temperature. 

3. Broadhead Skink

Scientific Name: Eumeces laticeps

The Broadhead skinks can be found throughout the state of South Carolina, but are most often seen in the Coastal Plain region. They prefer wooded areas and like to spend their time in trees.

Adult Broadhead skinks can reach up to 13 inches long and have a brown, black or gray colored body. Like other species of skinks, the Broadhead eats various spiders, insects, and invertebrates, but may also prey on small mammals and other lizards.

4. Coal Skink

Scientific Name: Eumeces anthracinus

Even though Coal skinks are found in South Carolina, they are not a common sight in the state. In fact, you could spend the rest of your life in the state and never see this species of skink.

Not much research has been done on these skinks and their exact habits are not fully understood. What we do know about the coal skink is that when they are seen it is usually under rocks and logs near the edges of streams.

They measure between 5 and 7 inches long and have a brown or gray colored body. Their body will also have two stripes, either yellow or white, on each side.

5. Southeastern Five-Lined Skink

Scientific Name: Eumeces inexpectatus

The Southeastern five-lined skink can be found all throughout the state of South Carolina, and is seen on both the ground and in trees. They like wooded, dry areas where there are stumps and fallen trees to hide in.

This subspecies prefers drier areas than the five-lined skink. They can reach 5 to 8 ½ inches long and have a black, gray, or brown body with five yellow or white stripes. One of these stripes runs down the center of their body, while two additional stripes run along each side.

6. Mole Skink

Scientific Name: Eumeces egregius

There are some discrepancies about whether or not mole skinks have made their way to South Carolina. Experts state that the mole skink has yet to be recorded in the state, but some residents near the South Carolina/Georgia border have claimed to see these lizards. 

Mole skinks measure about 3 to 6 inches long with a brown or gray body. They have two lighter-colored stripes that run down each side of the lizard’s body.

They have an orange or red tail that, unlike some other skink species, won’t fade as the animal ages. Mole skinks like to burrow in sandy soils and feed on small insects, invertebrates, and spiders.