Red-Sided Skink

Fascinating facts about the Red-Sided Skink

• T. homalocephala occurs from Cape Town eastwards along the South African coast to Mozambique, and isolated populations are found in moist mountainous areas inland.
• Males change colour in the breeding season, developing bright red stripes on their flanks.
• The adult female red-sided skink lays around six eggs in summer.
• The species first entered science in 1828 when Wiegmann described it from specimens collected by Ludwig Krebs in South Africa and stored in Berlin’s Natural History Museum. Over 190 years later, the name Trachylepis homalocephala still echoes that early expedition. This historical thread links modern herpetology to the age of exploration, showing how early collections continue to shape our taxonomy.

At a glance

About the Red-Sided Skink

The red-sided skink, Trachylepis homalocephala, is a small, slender lizard that lives in coastal thickets and leaf litter of Southern Africa, from Cape Town eastward to Mozambique, and also occurs in isolated moist mountain habitats further inland. Males change colour in the breeding season, developing bright red stripes on their flanks. In the summer months, the adult female lays around six eggs. Red-sided skinks are popular in the pet trade.

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