Gilbertson’s Skink

Gilbertson’s Skink
Plestiodon gilberti

Gilbertson’s Skinks may be found throughout California. As adults, they are typically brownish with no pattern or variation. Juvenile Gilbertson’s skinks have dark stripes on their mid-section to just past their back legs and may have bright blue, pink, or purple tails depending on the area they are found. Their bodies will lose their stripes and their tails will lose their bright color as they mature. Variegated Skinks, which have pink or reddish tails as juveniles, are the subspecies most common around the Bay Area. They grow to be between 2.5 and 4.5 inches long from snout to vent, with a tail that may be twice as long as their body length. Their tail breaks off easily as a defense, as with most lizards, and it will regrow over time. These skinks are burrowers, inhabiting moist areas within grassland, woodlands, forests, and chapparal communities. They mostly eat insects and small invertebrates.

Our Gilbert’s Skink, Gilbert, came to us from EYNC in 2024. He was found in the Sacramento area missing his tail. He was kept in a home while his tail grew back and was then unable to return to his natural habitat.