Adult male Broad-headed skink.

BROAD-HEADED SKINK
Eumeces laticeps

These impressive lizards are common residents of the southeastern U.S.. They can be seen racing up the trunk of a large oak tree or resting in a patch of sunlight on the forest floor. Some local residents call these lizards "scorpions" under the false assumption that they have a venomous bite or sting. A bite from a skink is no more than a harmless pinch however, ingesting one of these lizards can make some animals very sick. Cats and dogs occasionally die from the strong neurological poison after eating one.

Broad-headed skinks pose no threat to humans and are quite beneficial at controlling pests. They are ravenous feeders preying on insects, spiders and even small lizards and mammals. Female skinks lay from 8 to 12 eggs in the early spring in a rotten log or stump. Skinks will guard their eggs for a couple of months until the 2 1/2 - 3 1/2 inch long hatchlings emerge. Baby "Broadheads" have a bold striped pattern and a bright blue tail which gradually fades as they get bigger. Adult females retain some of the striped pattern but males turn a solid olive to tan color with a red or orange head. The bright red coloration signifies the breeding season where males fight savagely with rivals to defend their territory. The same jaws which easily subdue large insects and other invertebrates aid in the fierce combat. In the southeastern U.S. we have three very similar skink species. As juveniles the broadhead, the five-lined and the southeastern five-lined all look very similar making identification very difficult.

Broad-headed Skink 

This information is provided as a public service by the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory Outreach Program.