The blue-tailed skink is only a few centimetres long and as you can see, has a bright blue streak down its back to its tail.

The five-lined skink is named for the five stripes on its back that run from head to tail. It is also called blue-tailed skink because of the brilliant coloration of the juveniles.

Although they are sometimes referred to as blue-tailed skinks, that name is inaccurate for the local species, since another smaller lizard native to Christmas Island is the blue-tailed skink.

While the copper striped blue-tailed skink has now been extirpated from Hawaii, Fisher said he hopes the USGS determination will incite more accurate documentation and studies worldwide.

The bright blue tail is characteristic of young skinks. The color usually fades when they reach adulthood, but some skinks keep their color. The brighter the blue, however, the younger the skink.

The copper striped blue-tailed skink (Emoia impar) has become extinct from the Hawaiian islands, the U.S. Geological Survey said today.

Some skinks may be poisonous to eat. I have heard of cats becoming ill from eating blue-tailed skinks, but the information among veterinarians I have talked to is contradictory and not definitive.

THE LISTER GECKO (Lepidodactylus listeri) and the blue-tailed skink (Cryptoblepharus egeriae) have been successfully rescued from extinction through two captive breeding programs, with both species ...

New research shows a deadly bacteria is killing the Lister's gecko and blue-tailed skink, both native to Christmas Island Two other Christmas Island species have been declared extinct this month ...