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Western fence lizard

Sceloporus occidentalis · Lizards · Reptiles

Western fence lizard (Sceloporus occidentalis): Back scales fairly large, keeled and pointed (prickly look); gray, brown or black with wavy dark and light bands or V-shaped blotches, often 5-10 dark rows. Rear of the thighs yellow or orange; solid blue belly patches and throat in males, faint or absent in females and young. This profile does not establish whether taking it is legal anywhere.

Check rules for a place and date

Certified rules currently represented in Hunt: coverage in development. This is coverage, not a legal answer.

Scientific name
Sceloporus occidentalis
Family
Phrynosomatidae
In North America
Native
Range
Washington and southeastern Idaho south through Oregon, California, Nevada and western Utah to northwestern Baja California; sea level to about 3,350 m. Non-native in Montana.
Biology

How to identify it

Back scales fairly large, keeled and pointed (prickly look); gray, brown or black with wavy dark and light bands or V-shaped blotches, often 5-10 dark rows. [1][2][3]

Rear of the thighs yellow or orange; solid blue belly patches and throat in males, faint or absent in females and young. [1][2][3]

Breeding males may have blue or greenish dorsal scales and enlarged postanal scales; never a blue tail. [1][2][3]

Up to about 9.5-9.9 cm snout-vent length. [1][2][3]

Compared with the common sagebrush lizard: Smaller scales with shorter spines and pale dorsolateral stripes; no yellow on the thighs. [1][2][3]

Compared with the western skink: Smooth, shiny scales and a blue tail in young. [1][2][3]

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.

Field notes

  • Identification Confirm a western fence lizard before you act. Compared with the common sagebrush lizard: Smaller scales with shorter spines and pale dorsolateral stripes; no yellow on the thighs.[1][2][3]
Field knowledge

Where it lives

Grassland, sagebrush, woodland, open conifer forest, rocky canyons, talus slopes and fence rows. [1][2][3]

Not in severe desert but reaches mountain slopes near it. [1][2][3]

Field knowledge

How it behaves

Usually on the ground or low perches (logs, fences) but sometimes climbs bushes or trees; moves to the far side of a trunk when approached. [1][2][3]

Adult males defend home ranges during the breeding season; seasonal home range under 0.01 ha in central California. [1][2][3]

Eats mainly insects and spiders; eggs buried in loose soil, clutch 3-17, hatching mostly August-September. [1][2][3]

Inactive in cold weather; emerges in late winter or early spring. [1][2][3]

Regulatory handoff

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

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.

Geospatial intelligence

Where it is found

Washington and southeastern Idaho south through Oregon, California, Nevada and western Utah to northwestern Baja California; sea level to about 3,350 m. Non-native in Montana.

Biology

Sources

Every claim above is attributed to one of these published sources.

  1. NatureServe · reviewed 2026-09-30

    NatureServe

  2. Montana Natural Heritage Program / Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks · reviewed 2026-09-30

    Montana Natural Heritage Program / Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks

  3. USDA Forest Service · reviewed 2026-09-30

    USDA Forest Service