The Great Plains Skink (Plestiodon [Eumeces] obsoletus) is one of eight species of skinks that live in Texas, and it has the largest area of distribution. It occurs throughout the western ¾ of the state; roughly defined occurring west of an imaginary line drawn from the DFW region southward. Outside of Texas, it occurs northward to southern Nebraska, westward to central Arizona, and southward to the central plateau regions of Mexico.
The habitats that this sleek lizard prefers are the grasslands and prairies of the Panhandle that have small rocky areas and other surface debris under which it can hide. It can also be observed in rocky areas in the arid to semi-arid sandy regions of the Trans-Pecos and Edwards Plateau eco-regions.
The Great Plains Skink is an elongate lizard with tiny legs and a long tail. This species is the largest skink that inhabits this state (as well as the United States) with adults reaching a total length of almost fourteen inches, although the average is between six and nine inches. As with all species of this genus, the scales are so slick and shiny that the lizard at first glance appears to be wet. However, like other reptiles, the skin is completely dry and not slimy at all.
