Head to head
Eastern Fence Lizard vs Western Skink
An eastern fence lizard and a western skink both use a flash of blue to survive, but each has built an entirely different strategy around that single shared colour, one for signalling to rivals, the other for surviving an actual attack.
| Eastern Fence Lizard | Western Skink | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Sceloporus undulatus | Plestiodon skiltonianus |
| Blue colouration location | Belly and throat (adult males) | Tail (juveniles only) |
| Purpose of blue colour | Territorial and courtship signal | Predator decoy |
| Scale texture | Rough, keeled scales | Smooth, glossy scales |
| Tail-shedding defense | Not primary defense | Yes, sheds and regrows tail |
| Habitat | Forest and grassland | Forest and grassland |
| Native range | Eastern and central United States | Western United States |
| Conservation status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
Eastern Fence Lizard vs Western Skink: common questions
Do both lizards use blue colour for the same reason?
No, a male eastern fence lizard flashes blue belly and throat patches specifically to signal to rivals and potential mates during territorial displays, while a juvenile western skink's blue tail instead functions as a predator decoy, drawing attacks toward an expendable body part rather than communicating anything to other lizards.
Which lizard can regrow a lost body part?
The western skink is the one built around tail loss, capable of shedding a portion of its tail if grabbed by a predator and later regrowing it, while the eastern fence lizard's blue belly patches serve a purely social signalling function and are not part of any comparable sacrificial defense strategy.
Where do these two lizards live?
The eastern fence lizard is native to forest and grassland habitat across the eastern and central United States, while the western skink occupies a broadly similar habitat type but across the western United States, meaning the two species' ranges generally do not overlap.