The specific name, percivali, is in honor of British naturalist Arthur Blayney Percival (1874–1940), who was a game warden in East Africa.

[3] Percival's lance skink inhabits savannas by burrowing just below the surface of the soil.

[citation needed] Percival's lance skink can be identified by its copper-brown back and gold underside.

It is an insectivores that specializes in feeding on beetle larvae, earthworms, and other slow-moving invertebrates.

In captivity, they require a deep layer of sandy substrate and hollow hiding places on the surface.