I think this is a Five-lined Skink I came across here in the Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas. It could be an adult Five-lined Skink that has lost its three dorsal stripes, but I’m still guessing that it’s the Southern Coal Skink. If I’m wrong, please correct me by leaving a comment below.

Southern Coal Skink Top View
Five-lined Skink Top View
Southern Coal Skink Side View
Five-lined Skink Side View

How I Got The Shot – Skink In Early Spring Here In Arkansas

I was hiking with a Fujifilm X-T3 camera with a Canon EF 100-400 mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II lens attached with a Fringer EF-FX Pro. This rig has a Black rapid camera strap attached to it.

The Skink was on a log, and I was able to get close for these photos while hand-holding this camera and lens.

Camera Settings For First Photo

  • AV Mode
  • Back-button focus
  • Aperture f5.6
  • ISO 1600
  • Shutter speed – 1/850 sec.
  • Auto White Balance
  • Single Point, Continuous Auto Focus
  • Multi Metering
  • Focal Length – 400 mm

Camera Settings For Second Photo

  • AV Mode
  • Back-button focus
  • Aperture f5.6
  • ISO 1600
  • Shutter speed – 1/680 sec.
  • Auto White Balance
  • Single Point, Continuous Auto Focus
  • Multi Metering
  • Focal Length – 400 mm

Here are a couple of photos of a Juvenile Five-lined Skink I photographed: Juvenile Five-lined Skink On Log and Juvenile Five-lined Skink