Little Brown Skink ( family Scincidae ). Although less likely to be seen , except scurrying beneath leaves , palm fronds , or other ground covers that have been disturbed , little brown skinks , or ground skinks , may be the most common lizards on Kiawah Island . These tiny skinks , which seldom reach lengths of more than five inches , have shiny brown bodies and a lighter underside . The belly often turns yellow in males during the mating season . These little lizards cannot be confused with any other species on Kiawah Island . Unlike the larger skinks which are great climbers , little brown skinks do not try to escape by racing up the trunk of trees
Eastern Glass Lizard ( family Anguidae ). If any lizard on Kiawah Island is ever to be confused with a snake , it will be the eastern glass lizard . Glass lizards have no legs and really do resemble serpents . However , two obvious traits separate them from snakes , moveable eyelids and ear openings behind the eyes . The body is dark brown and shiny , often becoming dark green in large adults . Glass lizards occur throughout the island and are often found crossing roads . Like all lizards native to Kiawah and the Southeast , the tail may break off when grabbed by a predator . Like many other lizards , they have the ability to regenerate the lost tail and new growth is evident as a lighter colored stub that can be several inches long . Eastern glass lizards can reach a length of more than two and a half feet but the majority of their length is tail , and the body is comparatively short .
Little brown skink — the most common lizard on Kiawah Island
Six-lined Racerunner ( family Teiidae ). If you see a lizard with a streamlined body and six bright yellow stripes from head to tail race across the ground , it ’ s probably a six-lined racerunner . The most likely situation for encountering one will be on a hot day in the sand dunes , on a dirt road or any other open habitat . Some skinks have longitudinal stripes but the racerunner ’ s body , instead of being smooth and shiny , has a granular appearance . Also , racerunners have six stripes instead of five and a longer , more obvious neck . These lizards , whose closest relatives live in the southwestern deserts , prefer warmer temperatures , and are often active in the summer even when the temperature reaches 100 degrees . The hatchlings and juveniles all have pale blue tails but this color fades as they reach maturity . Females have a white belly , and adult males have a pale blue one that turns a brighter blue during the spring mating season .
Six-lined racerunner — Kiawah Island ’ s fastest lizard
Eastern glass lizard — note the ear opening behind the jaw line
Lizards on the Kiawah Watch List Kiawah residents should be on the lookout for certain South Carolina lizards that occur on the mainland , and all but one are known to inhabit barrier islands in other coastal areas . None of those below has yet been documented from Kiawah , but any could be present . These include three legless lizards , a blue-tailed skink , and the common fence lizard .
Native Lizards of the Mainland Common Five-lined Skink ( family Scincidae ). This bluetailed skink is intermediate in size to the broadheaded skink and southeastern five-lined skink and has been found on many other barrier islands . Its similar habits and appearance to the other two species make it difficult to identify unless an individual is in hand , but none has ever been documented from Kiawah Island despite many years of field studies .
Eastern Fence Lizard ( family Phrynosomatidae ). One of the most common lizards found throughout the mainland in the state and reported from barrier islands elsewhere is the eastern fence lizard . These highly camouflaged gray lizards are frequent inhabitants of dry , open woodlands . The body scales stand up like tiny spines , giving them a rough appearance . Male fence lizards are very distinctive in appearance as the underside of the chin and belly is bright blue and turns deeper blue during the spring mating season .
Photo by Parker Gibbons
40 Naturally Kiawah