Description: 5 to 8 inches in total length, snout to vent length maximum of 3 3/8 inches. A small lizard with a long tail and small legs. Its back is marked with five distinct yellow stripes. These stripes for a "Y" on top of the head. The body in juveniles and females is shiny black, while males are brown to gray with less distinct, or no, stripes. During mating season, the male's nose, cheeks, lips and throat turn bright orange-red. Dorsal scales are smooth, shiny and large. (MN DNR, 2022)
Food: Roaches and spiders, along with crickets, beetles, moths, snails, and other small invertebrates. (MN DNR, 2022)
Habitat: South-facing, rocky outcrops, old woodlots, along moist forest edges, and openings in pine barrens, oak savannas and dry northern hardwood forests. They overwinter below the frost line in rock fissures and cracks below the frost line. (MN DNR, 2022)
Reproduction: Egg layer, clutch size is 5-13 eggs, with a average of nine. (MN DNR, 2022)
Conservation Status: Status: Special Concern. Species in Greatest Conservation Need (MN DNR, 2022)
