Hiking Angeles Forest

Some Colorful Lizards

Posted on March 31, 2013 by Kyle Kuns

Wednesday I hiked to Mt. Wilson as my last training hike from my Grand Canyon Trip (I’m leaving within the hour). I enjoyed watching some colorful lizards going at it for a good ten minutes. Here’s some photos (click to enlarge). If you know what kind of lizards these are, please comment. I should have Grand Canyon photos and stories posted in around a week.

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17 thoughts on “Some Colorful Lizards”

Jack Goldfarb on March 31, 2013 at 9:17 pm said:

Gorgeous Great Basin (Western) fence lizards, Sceloporus occidentalis longipes! The males become iridescent blue during the breeding season. Very cool photos!!

-Jack Goldfarb (herpetologist)

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- LuAnn on April 2, 2013 at 5:19 am said:
  
  I got to see a male during breeding season. What a beautiful sight it was! Thanks for the information. 🙂
  
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  - Jack Goldfarb on April 2, 2013 at 8:42 pm said:
    
    You’re welcome. Lizards are awesome!!
    
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    - LuAnn on April 3, 2013 at 4:44 am said:
      
      Yes they are. 🙂
      
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- Kyle Kuns on April 7, 2013 at 12:43 pm said:
  
  Thanks for the ID and information,
  
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Eric on March 31, 2013 at 8:21 pm said:

I’m with Sue on this. He’s definitely in the Sceloporus family, and looks like a Western Fence lizard. However, he’s unusually blue. If he had more of a black collar on him I’d think he might be a Clark’s Spiny LIzard. Perhaps there’s some variant.

Anyway, I love the “blue bellied lizards”. I’m sure you remember some of my pets!

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- Kyle Kuns on April 7, 2013 at 12:44 pm said:
  
  I was confused by the blue on the one and the green on the other. I didn’t realize fence lizards could be so colorful.
  
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Sue on March 31, 2013 at 7:53 pm said:

I think it is a fence lizard, Sceloporus species, most likely a western fence lizard, but there are other Sceloporus species in the Grand Canyon also. Only the males show the blue coloration on the dorsal scales.

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- Kyle Kuns on April 7, 2013 at 12:42 pm said:
  
  Thanks for the ID.
  
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lylekrahn on March 31, 2013 at 7:45 pm said:

Wonderful creatures. I don’t get to see them around here.

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- Kyle Kuns on April 7, 2013 at 12:41 pm said:
  
  I agree, they’re great.
  
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Anonymous on March 31, 2013 at 6:27 pm said:

Cool lizards cousin

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- Kyle Kuns on April 7, 2013 at 12:40 pm said:
  
  Thanks–but I can’t tell which of my cousins is commenting 🙂
  
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kenneturner on March 31, 2013 at 5:55 pm said:

Nice images.

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- Kyle Kuns on April 7, 2013 at 12:40 pm said:
  
  Thanks
  
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PSsquared on March 31, 2013 at 5:43 pm said:

Enjoy the canyon!

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- Kyle Kuns on April 7, 2013 at 12:40 pm said:
  
  Thanks, I did!
  
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