The Florida Keys mole skink has an opportunistic and generalist feeding behavior, preying on whatever is present in the ground cover or soil that is of a size they can ingest. It preys on a variety of small insects and arthropods including ants, crickets, beetles, termites, small bugs, butterfly larva, spiders, mites, pseudoscorpions, and fungus. The make-up of diets shifts seasonally with prey relative to abundance.  

Florida Keys mole skinks spend most of their time under ground or under groundcover since they are cold-blooded (ectothermic) reptiles and dependent on the air and soil temperature to thermoregulate (maintain body core temperature). Ground cover moderates soil temperatures and provides shade to assist in the skinks’ thermoregulation in hot climates.  

Adults are about 5 inches long. 

The Florida Keys mole skink is a slender, small lizard colored brown, tan, or grey, with smooth scales and two to four pairs of light stripes extending from the head and neck that may reach the base of the tail. The tail, as in other species of mole skink, is brilliantly colored with variations from orange and red to faded pink. This variation is likely due to age of the animal, as smaller individuals possess more vibrant tails that transition to more subdued coloration as they grow. The small legs have five toes on each foot. Males display ventral and submental (under the chin) patches of pink and orange during the breeding season, although hints of these patches can be apparent throughout the year.  

The Florida Keys mole skink has three life stages: eggs, immature (juvenile), and adult. The immature stage lasts approximately one year from hatching to reproductively mature adult. 

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The generation time for the Florida Keys mole skink has not yet been documented. The age at first reproduction for the Florida Keys mole skink and the Florida sand skink (Plestiodon reynoldsi) are similar (24 months compared to 19 to 22 months, respectively) and may suggest a comparable generation time of approximately one generation every three to four years. 

Based on work conducted in a laboratory setting with a closely related species, the red-tailed skink (Eumeces [now Plestiodon] egregius), we understand the following: 

Scent is the most important factor in finding and selecting mates. Mating of the Florida Keys mole skink typically takes place in fall or winter. Florida Keys mole skink has been observed mating during this time by field biologists surveying for the species. After mating the female enters a period of inactivity that lasts about one month. Eggs are laid under debris and usually in nest cavities. Female mole skinks den and attend their nests annually between April and June. The females lick, turn, and protect the eggs from predators. Research has shown that when any of these activities are prevented, the eggs are at risk of not developing.? 

Soils used for nesting are generally dry and unconsolidated to allow for the digging of nest cavities and their swimming movement through substrate. Based on laboratory research, an individual skink lays a clutch of two to 11 eggs with an average of three to five eggs. Eggs incubate for 31 to 51 days. No in-situ nests have been identified for the Florida Keys mole skink. Because of the predominantly limestone, prehistoric coral reef and rocky makeup of the archipelago, only a few areas provide the unconsolidated soils considered preferred by the Florida Keys mole skink for nesting.  

Northern mole skink (P. egregius similis),  

peninsular mole skink (P. egregius onocrepis) 

blue-tailed mole skink (P. egregius lividus) 

Cedar Key mile skink (P. egregius insularis)  

The Florida Keys mole skink (Plestiodon egregius egregius) is one of five distinct species of mole skinks in Florida, all in the Genus Plestiodon (previously referred to as Eumeces). The northern mole skink is the most wide-ranging and has been documented in Florida, Alabama, and Georgia. The peninsular mole skink occurs throughout Florida. The blue-tailed mole skink is restricted to the Lake Wales Ridge in central Florida, and the Cedar Key mole skink is restricted to the Cedar Key islands in the Gulf of America. The Florida Keys mole skink is more closely related genetically to the blue-tailed mole skink than the peninsular mole skink. However, Florida Keys mole skinks in the upper Keys show morphological characteristics between the Florida Keys mole skink and the peninsular (mainland) mole skink. Recent genetic evidence supports a lack of interbreeding between the Florida Keys mole skink and the other mole skink species.