Description: The bluetail mole skink is a small, shiny, cylindrical lizard of a brownish color. Juveniles usually have a blue tail which makes up slightly more than half of the animal's total length. Regenerated tails and the tails of older individuals are typically pinkish. The legs are somewhat reduced in size and are used only during surface locomotion, not when the animal "swims" through the sand. During the breeding season, males develop a colorful orange pattern on their sides. The bluetail mole skink grows to 3.5 to 6 inches.

Habitat: It shares habitat with the sand skink, which is also endangered, but does not compete with it: whereas the sand skink feeds underground, the bluetail mole skink hunts on the surface

Range: It is found in central Florida. Map should also reflect Seminole and Orange counties. Also sighted in Brevard, Marion, and Pasco Counties.

Found in these States: FL

Diet: Like other mole skinks, it feeds primarily on cockroaches, spiders, and crickets.

Reproduction: Mole skinks reach sexual maturity after one year. They mate in winter; the female lays three to seven eggs in spring in a shallow nest cavity less than 12 inches below the surface. The eggs incubate for 31 to 51 days, during which time the female tends the nest.

Status: The bluetail mole skink is a federally threatened species.

Taxonomy: