Prairie skink
The prairie skink (Plestiodon septentrionalis) is a species of skink endemic to the prairies east of the Rocky Mountains in North America. It is one of only seven species of lizards that occur in Canada. Taxonomy The prairie skink was first described by Baird in 1859. Two subspecies are generally recognized, including the nominotypical subspecies: Northern prairie skink, P. s. septentrionalis Baird, 1859, originally described as Plestiodon septentrionalis. Southern prairie skink, P. s. obtusirostris (Bocourt, 1879), originally described as Eumeces obtusirostris. A third subspecies was described as Eumeces s. pallidus, the "pallid skink", by H.M. Smith and Slater in 1949, but this subspecies is absent from the literature for the past more than 40 years, and it is unclear whether it exists or coincides with one of the other two subspecies. The scientific name of the species derives from Latin: septentrionalis means "northern". Latin obtusirostris means "blunt-nosed". Despite the scientific name P. septentrionalis obtusirostris translating to "blunt-nosed northern great skink", it is a southern subspecies. Description The prairie skink is a small lizard, reaching a total length (body + tail) of about 13 to 22 cm (5 to nearly 9 inches). Adult prairie skinks are brown or tan on the