Little Brown Skink

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

Little brown skinks are Missouri's smallest species of lizard, and they are brown! These ground-dwellers also have dark brown or black stripes and speckling along their sides. When walking along a forest trail, hikers may hear the sound of small lizards scurrying through dead leaves, but they seldom see them.

Size: 
Average total length is 4 inches.
Habitat and conservation: 
Little brown skinks--formerly called ground skinks--live on the forest floor and spend much of their time in dead leaves or under flat rocks. They do not climb trees like the other forest-dwelling skinks.
Foods: 
A variety of small insects, spiders and earthworms.
Distribution in Missouri: 
Statewide, except for a few counties in the northwestern corner.
Ecosystem connections: 
Because of their small size and ground-dwelling behavior, they can fall prey to a variety of predators: snakes, other species of lizards, birds and mammals such as shrews, skunks and armadillos. Even bluebirds have been recorded feeding these skinks to their nestlings.