Plestiodon fasciatus
Silhouette: David Orr · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~70% in a week ~90%
The (American) five-lined skink (Plestiodon fasciatus) is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to North America. It is one of the most common lizards in the Eastern United States and one of the five native species of lizards in Canada.
Other common names for P. fasciatus include blue-tailed skink (for juveniles) and red-headed skink (for adults). It is technically appropriate to call it the American five-lined skink to distinguish it from the African skink Trachylepis quinquetaeniata (otherwise known as five-lined mabuya) or the eastern red-headed skink to distinguish it from its western relative Plestiodon skiltonianus (otherwise known as the western skink). The blue-tailed skink proper is Cryptoblepharus egeriae from Christmas Island, but in North America the juveniles of any Eumeces or Plestiodon species may be called this.
The American five-lined skink is small to medium-sized, growing to about 12.5 to 21.5 centimetres (4.9 to 8.5 in) total length (including tail). Young American five-lined skinks are dark brown to black with five distinctive white to yellowish stripes running along the body and a bright blue tail... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Congaree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Point Pelee National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Houston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Philadelphia | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Dallas | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Baltimore | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Chicago | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toledo Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Trailside Museum & Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States |
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Common Five-lined Skink sighting in Great Smoky Mountains National Park on a given day, based on 196 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 5th most-seen of the 27 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April–May and July–September
In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Common Five-lined Skink in Great Smoky Mountains National Park on a given day, against under 5% in November to February, the lowest months.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Common Five-lined Skink sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 4
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Common Five-lined Skink sightings, Great Smoky Mountains National Park ranks 2nd at about 30%. The best odds are in Congaree National Park (United States, about 60%). All parks ranked.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Common Five-lined Skink is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (196 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
