Sceloporus occidentalis
Silhouette: SeismicShrimp · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~90% in a week >90%
The western fence lizard (Sceloporus occidentalis) is a species of lizard native to Arizona, New Mexico, and California, as well as Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Northern Mexico. The species is widely found in its native range and is considered common, often being seen in yards, or as the name implies, on fences. As the ventral abdomen of an adult is characteristically blue, it is also known as the blue-belly. Two western fence lizards have been reported with duplicated or forked tails, presumably following an autotomy.
Taxonomy for the western fence lizard has been under much debate. S. occidentalis belongs in the order Squamata (snakes and lizards) and the suborder Iguania. The family in which it belongs is still under scrutiny. The family Phrynosomatidae, along with seven other families, used to be included in the single family Iguanidae, until Frost and Etheridge's (1989) analysis of iguanian systematics suggested the family be divided. Most literature, however, still place the phrynosomatids in Iguanidae.
Five subspecies are recognized, as follows: San Joaquin fence lizard, Sceloporus occidentalis biseriatus Coast Range fence lizard, Sceloporus occidentalis... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joshua Tree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Yosemite National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Channel Islands National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Redwood National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Death Valley National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Angeles | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | San Diego | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Sacramento | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | San Francisco | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Tijuana | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 6 | Portland | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Seattle | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sacramento Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Biomes Marine Biology Center | 🇺🇸 United States |
Likely
About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Western Fence Lizard sighting in Yosemite National Park on a given day, based on 581 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the most-seen of the 17 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 90%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May
In that month about 70% of wildlife watchers report a Western Fence Lizard in Yosemite National Park on a given day, against under 5% in December, the lowest month. That is one of Yosemite National Park's driest months, with about 50 mm of rain against 220 mm in January.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Western Fence Lizard sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 6
Of the 6 parks where we can rate Western Fence Lizard sightings, Yosemite National Park ranks 3rd at about 50%. The best odds are in Joshua Tree National Park (United States, about 60%) and Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks (United States, about 60%). All parks ranked.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Western Fence Lizard is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Yosemite National Park (581 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
