Broad-Headed Skink

Family: 
Scincidae (skinks) in the order Squamata (lizards)
Description: 

They have a large, wide head and, during the breeding season, the heads of males become slightly swollen and orangish-red. The rest of the body has a few faint stripes. Adult females are more prominently marked with light and dark stripes. Newly hatched young are black and have a bright blue tail.

Size: 
Average total length is 10.5 inches.
Habitat and conservation: 
This is Missouri's largest forest-dwelling skink. Broad-headed skinks spend much of their time in large trees but will come to the ground to search for insects.
Foods: 
Insects.
Distribution in Missouri: 
The southern two-thirds of the state.
Human connections: 
Some people have dubbed them "scorpions," but they are completely unrelated to those spider-like creatures and are certainly not poisonous. But that colorful nickname indicates that Missourians have long been intrigued by these fascinating and harmless lizards.
Ecosystem connections: 
Like most lizards, this species preys on insects and other small targets and is preyed upon by larger predators, including mammals and birds. This species often makes its home in abandoned woodpecker cavities, an example of the many interconnections in nature.