Holy cow, when I first saw this guy (or gal, I don't know), it was big enough to freak me out a moment. Fully 10 inches long just sunning itself by the pond.
I'm not great at identifying things, so I might be totally off base when I say I think this is a 5-lined skink. I've seen a juvi in our yard last year with it's yellow lines and bright blue tail. I read that the adults tails turn grey and their lines can all but disappear. That doesn't explain the red head though. Another possibility is the broad-headed skink. The colors would be right, but pictures of that lizard he had a bumpy head, not smooth like this one. Guess more research is called for.
UPDATE: Confirmed! It's a five-lined skink. Found a picture of an adult here. The red on the head indicates a male in breeding condition. Love is in the air around our backyard apparently.
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