The blue-tailed mole skink is a small, shiny, brownish to pink, cylindrical, lizard. Juveniles usually have a blue tail which makes up slightly more than half of the 13 cm length (Christman 1992; P. Moler, GFC, personal communication 1998). Regenerated tails and the tails of older individuals are typically pinkish. The legs are somewhat reduced in size and are used only during surface locomotion, not when the animal “swims” through the sand (Christman 1992). The coloration in the blue-tailed mole skink is brown with lighter paired dorsolateral stripes diverging posteriorly (Christman 1978). During the breeding season, males develop a colorful orange pattern on their sides.