Description
The Mountain Skink is a medium-sized skink reaching a maximum length from snout to vent of about 7.5 cm (3 inches). Its body is olive to brown in color, with black stripes on the sides. On the head, it features a distinctive, roughly Y-shaped light line pattern, which gave rise to its scientific name: callicephalus is Greek and means "beautiful head".
Like many other Plestiodon, juvenile Mountain Skinks have a bright blue tail. However, contrary to most other species of this genus, adults retain this color, although it does fade a little with age.
Read more about this topic: Plestiodon Callicephalus
Famous quotes containing the word description:
“As they are not seen on their way down the streams, it is thought by fishermen that they never return, but waste away and die, clinging to rocks and stumps of trees for an indefinite period; a tragic feature in the scenery of the river bottoms worthy to be remembered with Shakespeare’s description of the sea-floor.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
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—Herodotus (c. 484–424 B.C.)
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—Horace Walpole (1717–1797)