How to identify it
Large, slim, gray-brown lizard with keeled scales, short legs and a tail about twice the body length; up to 5.6 in snout-vent (WDFW). [1][2]
Brown back with black spots in transverse bands; fold of small scales along each side (WDFW). [1][2]
Yellow or gold eyes; underside light with no dark pigment on the lateral edges of the scales (WDFW). [1][2]
Juveniles have a plain brownish to reddish back and scales lighter than the body folds (WDFW). [1][2]
Compared with the northern alligator lizard: Smaller (under 3.9 in snout-vent), brown eyes, dark pigment on the lateral edges of the belly scales (WDFW). [1][2]
Species it is confused with
Check these before deciding what you are looking at. If you are not certain what it is, do not shoot.
- Northern alligator lizard · Elgaria coerulea
Where it lives
Grassland, chaparral, oak woodland and open pine forest; in drier regions along streams and other moist, vegetated areas; also logs, thickets, rocks and old woodpiles around houses (NatureServe; WDFW). [1][2]
How it behaves
Active by day and much less secretive than the northern alligator lizard; climbs shrubs and lower trunks with its prehensile tail and swims and basks on creek rocks (WDFW). [1][2]
Bites when captured; tail is easily shed (WDFW). [1][2]
Eats slugs, insects, centipedes, scorpions and spiders, plus lizards, small mammals and occasionally bird eggs and nestlings (NatureServe). [1][2]
Lays 1-3 clutches of usually 5-20 eggs May-July; inactive in the coldest weather but active over a wide temperature range (NatureServe). [1][2]
Limited legal take
Legal take of this species exists only under narrow conditions — a quota, a draw, a permit, a small area, or animals released or held on private land — set by the authorities below. Nowhere else is a legal opportunity implied, and Hunt shows one only where a certified rule establishes it.
Where legal take is listed
- California — reptile take · 2026 California Freshwater Sport Fishing Regulations (updated July 10, 2026), 14 CCR 5.05/5.60
Being listed is not an open season. Seasons, zones, licences, methods and limits decide whether this animal may be taken on a given day and place — check Hunt or the authority before you go. Listings read 2026-09-30.
Where it is found
Mainly west of the Cascade-Sierra Nevada crest from south-central Washington through western Oregon and California to northern Baja California; introduced at Las Vegas, Nevada (NatureServe).
Sources
Every claim above is attributed to one of these published sources.
NatureServe · reviewed 2026-09-30
NatureServe
Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife · reviewed 2026-09-30
Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife