Reptiles
Sagebrush Lizard
Sceloporus graciosus · also called sagebrush lizards
Basking on a rock amid a stand of sagebrush at higher elevation than its chunkier relative typically ventures, a sagebrush lizard shows off the finer scales and smaller blue belly patches that separate it from the western fence lizard, a distinction subtle enough that even careful observers can struggle with it.
Overview
The sagebrush lizard, Sceloporus graciosus, is a small, slender lizard native to sagebrush steppe and mountain habitat across a broad range of the western United States. Its smaller size, preference for higher and cooler terrain, and genuinely close resemblance to the western fence lizard make it one of the more identification-challenging lizards in its range.
A lizard defined by subtle differences
Where the sagebrush lizard and its close relative the western fence lizard overlap, telling the two apart comes down to a handful of fine details, scale texture, belly patch size, and elevation preference, rather than any single obvious feature.
Status
Least Concern — widespread and stable across suitable sagebrush and mountain habitat throughout the western United States.
Sagebrush Lizard: common questions
How can you tell a sagebrush lizard from a western fence lizard?
The sagebrush lizard is smaller and slimmer with finer scales, and a male's blue belly patches are usually smaller and lack the strong black border typical of a male western fence lizard, which is generally larger and chunkier with coarser, spinier scales, though in the field the two can still be genuinely hard to tell apart without a close look, especially where their ranges overlap.
Why does the sagebrush lizard prefer higher elevation habitat?
This species tends to occupy higher, cooler terrain dominated by sagebrush, a habitat preference that separates it somewhat from the broader range of conditions tolerated by its close relative the western fence lizard, which occupies a wider variety of lower-elevation habitat as well.
What does the sagebrush lizard eat?
This species feeds on ants, beetles, spiders, and other small invertebrates found on and around sagebrush and rocky ground, hunting during the day while basking intermittently on rocks, logs, and open ground to regulate its body temperature.
Where does the sagebrush lizard live?
This species is native to sagebrush steppe and mountain habitat across a broad range of the western United States, generally favouring higher elevation, cooler terrain than the broader range of habitat tolerated by its close relative the western fence lizard.