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Vermont Lizards: Identification Guide With Pictures

Last checked November 3, 2026 against official sources.

On this page
  1. The one lizard
  2. How to report
  3. What official sources say
  4. About this list
  5. Sources

This page lists 1 lizard: all from Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department's Reptiles and Amphibians of Vermont.

The one lizard on the list

From A to Z.

No confirmed photo of Common Five-lined Skink

Common Five-lined Skink

Plestiodon fasciatus

Not stated

Venom
No official source we use states whether this animal is venomous. That does not mean it is harmless: do not handle it.
Size
5 to 8.5 inches
How to recognize it
  • Smooth, shiny scales
  • Enlarged middle row of scales under the tail (separates it from the southeastern five-lined skink)
  • Tail breaks off easily and twitches to distract predators; it grows back shorter
Conservation
state endangered; SGCN (Vermont Wildlife Action Plan); state rank S1
What the sources say

Habitat: Rockslides, ridges, ledges, open woods, farmsteads, old buildings; often near water (Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department)

Full Common Five-lined Skink guide

How to report

Reptiles and amphibians (including Timber Rattlesnake sightings): Vermont Reptile and Amphibian Atlas (vtherpatlas.org). Bear incidents and rare animals: F&W Citizen Reporting forms. Invasive insects and aquatic animals: vtinvasives.org Report It! pages. Wildlife conflicts: U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal Damage Control Unit (name as given on the F&W page), Berlin VT, 802-223-8690. Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department

What official sources say

Are there lizards in Vermont?

Yes. The only lizard on the F&W list is the Common Five-lined Skink, which is state endangered. Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department

“Endangered in Vermont.”

About this list

The species list comes from Reptiles and Amphibians of Vermont (Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department (Vermont Natural Heritage Inventory), 13 March 2022).

Venom labels come only from official sources and link to them; "Not stated" never means harmless. How labels work.

Sources

  1. Reptiles and Amphibians of Vermont. Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department (Vermont Natural Heritage Inventory). document dated 13 March 2022; checked November 3, 2026.
  2. Five Lined Skink (Vermont Critters: Reptiles). Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department. undated page; checked November 3, 2026.
    Quoted passages (1)
    “Endangered in Vermont.”
  3. Citizen Reporting. Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department. undated page; checked November 3, 2026.
    Quoted passages (1)
    “Report incidents of property damage by bears, visits to birdfeeders, compost bins or garbage, bears on porches or decks, damage to bee hives, corn or other crops, and any incident where you feel threatened by a bear.”