Plestiodon gilberti (Van Denburgh, 1896)

Species Identification

Gilbert's skink (Plestiodon gilberti) is a heavy-bodied lizard with small legs.

Adult Coloration

Adult individuals are uniformly colored green, grey, olive, or brown.

Juvenile Markings

Juveniles have light stripes on their sides and back that enclose a broad black or brown stripe, and this dark stripe ends near the base of the waxy-pink tail.

Juvenile Pattern Fading

Juvenile striping fades as the lizard grows and matures, and this fading happens faster in males than in females.

Similarity to Western Skinks

In some environments, Gilbert’s skinks look very similar to western skinks until they reach maturity.

Core Distribution Range

Gilbert's skink occurs mainly in California.

California Range Details

Its range includes the northern San Joaquin Valley, the foothills of the Sierra Nevada from Butte County southward, the inner flanks of the Coast Ranges from San Francisco Bay to the Mexican border extending into northern Baja California, the mountains of southern California, and scattered mountain localities in the eastern desert from Mono County to San Bernardino County.

Kern County Distribution

It has been spotted in Kern County west of the Rand Mountains bordering San Bernardino, but larger populations are found east of this area, dispersed north of the Mojave Desert.

Isolated Out-of-State Populations

Isolated populations are also present in western Arizona and southern Nevada.

Elevation Range

Gilbert's skink lives in habitats ranging from sea level to around 2,200 m (7,200 ft) in elevation.

Preferred Habitats

While it can be found in a wide variety of habitat types, it is most common in early successional stages or open areas within those habitats, which range from grassland to open chaparral or open pine forests.

Avoided Habitats

It generally avoids heavy brush and densely forested areas.

Reproductive Season Variability

The reproductive season for Plestiodon gilberti varies by location and from year to year depending on local conditions.

Reproductive Timing

Little is known about the exact timing of its reproduction, but it is thought to be similar to that of the Western Skink, which lays its eggs in June and July.

Nest Construction

Adult females build nest chambers several centimeters deep in loose moist soil, most often under flat stones.

Clutch Size

Clutch size ranges from 3 to 9 eggs.