This juvenile skink was contently basking in the warm afternoon sun. With his neutral color and distinctive stripes, he blended in well with the dried pine needles and grass — all except for his bright blue tail, which gave him away. Fortunately for the Five-Lined Skink, if a predator grabs him by the tail, the tail can fall off, allowing him to run for safety. A new tail will soon grow back.
“When something goes wrong in your life just yell ‘Plot Twist!’ and move on.” ~Molly Weis
walking on a country road 
God certainly does protect all living things.
Yes, in amazing ways! 🙂
Great shots of this amazing lizard! I have seen lizards here use the same defense mechanism.
Thanks, Peter. Definitely an interesting survival strategy.
That’s amazing – what a great escape, but why such a bright blue as it does not help for camouflage, but instead is like a beacon for predators? Thank goodness it can escape and lose that bright blue tail!
Good question! I wondered the same thing. Some sources say that while the skink has the bright blue tail, it may be poisonous to predators, and the blue is a warning sign. Also, the bright blue color may divert the attention of the predator to the tail, which they can shed, and escape. The color of the blue fades with age but it sure does make it hard to miss the younger ones.
So many amazing things in nature aren’t there? Maybe by the time the skinks are older and mature, they have adapted to escaping so it is okay that the color fades.
The poison theory seems to be highly debatable and not proven. I think that the best answer seems to be the diversion.