Orange-throated Whiptail vs. Gilbert's Skink

Both live in the inland valleys and foothills of southern California, and the young of both can have blue tails. A: Tiny, dull, grain-like scales; long legs; a fast runner in the Orange-throated Whiptail; smooth, shiny, rounded scales; short legs in the Gilbert's Skink. B: Five to seven narrow pale stripes close together; long legs in the Orange-throated Whiptail; fewer, bolder pale stripes on a blackish body; short legs in the Gilbert's Skink. Adult whiptails have an orange throat; adult Gilbert's Skinks are plain olive or brown, with a red head in breeding males.

Photographs via iNaturalist under Creative Commons licences; the photographers are credited on the sheet.

More comparisons

• Orange-throated Whiptail vs. Common Side-blotched Lizard
• Orange-throated Whiptail vs. Western Whiptail
• Orange-throated Whiptail vs. Western Skink
• Sonoran Spotted Whiptail vs. Orange-throated Whiptail
• African Five-lined Skink vs. Orange-throated Whiptail
• Gilbert's Skink vs. Western Skink
• Sonoran Spotted Whiptail vs. Gilbert's Skink
• African Five-lined Skink vs. Gilbert's Skink

Wildsight identifies the reptiles and amphibians of the United States. Every comparison