New and scary creature at the pond

[Jhn]

That is a female Blue Tailed Skink......I have one that is probably 10" long......she has been coming back each year for at least 4 years......its amazing that she has survived that long considering how many creatures love to eat them......its no telling how many babies she has produced......and she is fat again......if you see one and stay very still they are Ant eating machines......I watched one on the edge of an Anthill......he pretty much cleaned out that Anthill

Other way around, if it was a blue tailed/ five lined skink, it would be a male. Females retain their white stripes and lose the juvenile blue tail. Males have the orange head.

Really impossible to tell apart from the Broadhead skink unless you catch them to observe closer, or come across a very large Broadhead.

 

[Nyboy]

Are newts and salamanders lizards ?

 

[ShawnInfirmity]

Are newts and salamanders lizards ?

They're amphibians.

 

[Nyboy]

lizards are reptiles thank you brain not working. Was trying to figure out if NY had any lizards

 

[Jimmy Gibson]

Other way around, if it was a blue tailed/ five lined skink, it would be a male. Females retain their white stripes and lose the juvenile blue tail. Males have the orange head.

Really impossible to tell apart from the Broadhead skink unless you catch them to observe closer, or come across a very large Broadhead.

Well after doing a little research.......I have to agree with you......but in my experience with our Skink's the ones that are usually fat with eggs are generally tan with no lines on them......the ones that I call males are smaller is what I considered males.......after reading about them the bright colored ones are adolescents......I stand corrected......we have dozens of them.....we love them

 

[mrsclem]

Well, I had another one today peeking out from under one of the winow box bogs. This one was smaller. I'm guessing they are hunting other lizards and insects from under the cover of the boxes.

 

[addy1]

Aww you have new friends!