The Southeastern five-lined skink (Eumeces inexpectatus) is a common skink in the southeastern United States. Its scientific name E. inexpectatus("the unexpected") is possibly a reference to the unexpected discovery of this species.
As their name suggests, Southeastern five-lined Skinks have five characteristic narrow stripes along their bodies that become lighter with age. The middle stripe tends to be narrower than the others, and the dark areas between stripes are black in young skinks but become brown with age. A similarlizard, the Five-lined Skink (Eumeces fasciatus), is slightly smaller than the southeastern five-lined skink and has broader stripes. However, it is difficult to discriminate between these two species on the basis of physical appearance.
Young Southeastern five-lined Skinks have a bright blue or purplish tail, especially towards the tip. Also, stripes become a bright reddish orange towards the head. Juvenile coloration may persist into adulthood, giving the head of the animal an altogether orange-brown appearance.
