Prairie Skink vs. Coal Skink

Both have a broad dark band along each side edged by thin light lines, and neither has a stripe right down the spine. The back separates them: the Prairie Skink's back is three wide tan to light brown stripes separated by two narrow black stripes, so it looks many-striped; the Coal Skink's back is plain olive-brown, with its stripes only along the sides and none on the head. The young differ too: young Prairie Skinks are black with thin yellowish stripes and a bright blue tail; Coal Skink hatchlings are black with only faint lines and a blue-grey tail.

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

More comparisons

• Prairie Skink vs. Common Five-lined Skink
• Prairie Skink vs. Little Brown Skink
• Prairie Skink vs. Broad-headed Skink
• Great Plains Skink vs. Prairie Skink
• Four-lined Skink vs. Prairie Skink
• Coal Skink vs. Common Five-lined Skink
• Coal Skink vs. Broad-headed Skink
• Coal Skink vs. Little Brown Skink
• Great Plains Skink vs. Coal Skink
• Mole Skink vs. Coal Skink

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