Native Species: Sceloporus Occidentalis- The Western Fence Lizard

Today, March 24, 2010, marks my first wild herp catch of the year. I managed to capture an adult male Sceloporus Occidentalis- Western Fence Lizard. These feisty little guys are all over my hometown of Bend, Oregon, and in the Spring and Summer are found in less populated portions of Central Oregon basking on rocks, scurrying away hurridly when approached.

A member of the spiny lizard genus, Sceloporus, these small reptiles are found throughout much of the Western US, and inhabit desert or arid scrubland ranging from Nevada and Idaho to the West Coast in Oregon, Washington, and California. It is easily confused for other spiny lizards in its range like the Sagebrush Lizard (Sceloporus Graciosis), but is distinguished by having three specific iridescent blue patches on its underside: two on either side of its underbelly and one on its throat, which the SageBrush Lizard lacks, as well as light orange markings underneath the throat and arms in some specimens.

Western Fence Lizards are apparently fairly frequent breeders, as there are always an abundance of them in my area. Today seems to be the first day they've come out of their winter brumation, as I've been searching the usual areas for them for the last few weeks. They tend to go into brumation (hibernation for reptiles, basically)around late September, and re-emerge once it warms up in late March or early April. I often find hatchlings throughout the summer up to around August, and when kept in captivity before, the adults have attempted to devour hatchlings, suggesting a high reproductive rate to accomodate for cannibalism when times are tough.

Carnivorous as many desert reptiles are, the Western Fence Lizard is no exception, readily devouring most spiders, beetles, crickets, and other insects that it encounters within its range. It shares its home range with a few other reptiles, including the aforementioned Sagebrush Lizard and the Western Skink (Eumeces Skiltonianus), and is frequent prey for various birds, Western Rattlesnakes (Crotalus Oreganus), and Coyotes.

On average, one will find Sceloporus Occidentalis basking on rocks in the morning, sunning itself alongside usually one other Western Fence Lizard, possibly a mate. They make their homes within piles of rocks, empty rodent burrows, and other such crevices, and will always retreat to these hiding spots when approached or threatened. If trying to catch a specimen, they will flee to another rock once their chosen spot is lifted or moved aside, and will even try to hide near your shoes or up your pant-leg if you're not careful (one amusing instance last year had one crawling up my pant-leg, I had to undo my pants, reach my hand down it and grab the little bugger while he was confused). When grabbed, Western Fence Lizards will squirm, oftentimes dropping their tail in a process called autotomy (the tail heals over very quickly and then grows back in a very short time, it doesn't hurt the lizard). In self defense, they will bite readily, latching on hard and hissing angrily. Many times I have noticed that, once picked up, this is their first response, and thus have made it a goal to thrust in to grab them immediately, knowing that the "slow and steady," cautious approach to capturing a specimen will usually result in the same thing. If you're planning on keeping one or several of these fascinating and active little reptiles in captivity, a simple care sheet is provided below, and a much more detailed one will be provided in the future.

Genus: Sceloporus

Species: Occidentalis

Common name: Western Fence Lizard

Adult Size: 4-6 Inches

Climate: Desert/Arid Scrubland

Temperature Range: 65 degrees F to 95 degrees F, 100-105 degrees F basking spot

Humidity: 20%-40% on average, keep it fairly low-humidity, provide a water dish for drinking and a little sphagnum moss in a hiding cave.

Lighting: This species needs a full heat/UVB setup, provide 10-12 hours of light and heat per day, maintaining a standard day/night cycle.

Cage Size: 10 Gallon tank for between 1 and 3 individuals, a 20 gallon-long will hold a breeding group of 1 male and 5 females or so adequetly. Males will fight for dominance and can easily injure one another, so don't house them together. Make sure, if catching lizards where there are several varieties, to ascertain the specific species you have caught. Sceloporus Occidentalis and Sceloporus Graciosis can be quite vicious and territorial towards eachother.

Feeding: smaller (2-3 week old) crickets are best, sprinkled with calcium D3 supplement and gut-loaded. Feed a single adult specimen of S. Occidentalis 5-10 crickets every 2-3 days.

Handling: these are flighty, defensively-aggressive lizards, they will hiss, drop their tails, or bite when picked up, and will often take every opportunity to jump from the handler's hands when startled. Hold them over the tank, consider wearing handling gloves if you don't like being bitten, and spend some time holding them every day to get them acclimated to it.

Summary: Best observed rather than held when in captivity, but quite common and easy to find in the wild, Sceloporus Occidentalis, the Western Fence Lizard, is a small, quick, and very interesting species to behold. They are enjoyable animals to watch, as they are often very active, and can make a very nice addition to any herpetoculturist's collection or field-herping outing.

*image found on google image search, I have no claim on this image and am not to be given credit for it under any circumstances.