Western Fence Lizard
Sceloporus occidentalis
Adults are common in western North America in chaparral, oak woodland, conifer edges, grassland, yards, and especially on sunlit fences, rocks, and logs. They eat insects and spiders, sitting alertly before darting out to seize prey or retreating into cracks and brush. Males defend small territories with push-ups and flashes of blue belly scales. A notable ecological fact is that blood proteins in this lizard can kill the Lyme disease bacterium inside feeding ticks, reducing infected tick numbers in some areas.
- Type
- Swift
- Conservation status
- LC
Growth chain
- Western Fence Lizard Hatchling
- Western Fence Lizard Juvenile
- Western Fence Lizard