Skink

Skink, slender lizard found in many of the warmer parts of the world. Skinks are abundant in Africa and 50 species live in the Americas. Some have rough scales, but the rest have very flat scales, sometimes so small that they are hard to see. Skinks may be aquatic or tree dwellers, and many have taken up burrowing, like the Florida sand skink. The largest skink is the 2-ft (0.61-m) giant zebra skink of the Solomon Islands, which has a prehensile tail. Skinks eat plants or small animals. Most lay eggs that are guarded by the mother; others bear live young. Young skinks often have blue tails that break off when they are attacked.