Common Name

Eastern Fence Lizard

Scientific Name

Sceloporus undulatus

The Eastern Fence Lizard is typically colored in shades of gray or brown, and has keeled scales, with a dark line running along the rear of the thigh. A female is usually gray and has a series of dark, wavy lines across her back. Males have a blue patch on the belly and throat. The young look like the females, but are darker and duller. The lizards prefer sparsely wooded areas with ample sunlight, with sandy or loose soil. They can be found basking atop of both natural and artificial structures including coarse woody debris, tree stumps, rock piles, and fence posts. They are most active in the early morning sun when the ground has not been fully warmed up yet.

  • Kingdom: Animalia
  • Phylum: Chordata
  • Class: Reptilia
  • Order: Squamata
  • Family: Phrynosomatidae
  • Genus: Sceloporus
  • Species: Sceloporus undulatus
Habitat

Forest, Grassland, Urban

Distribution

Eastern fence lizards range from mid New York south to mid Florida and northern part Texas and as far west as Colorado.

Abundance

Common

Activity Time

Diurnal

Diet

Eastern fence lizards eat primarily insects and other arthropods, including ants, beetles, weevils, lady bugs, spiders and centipedes

Behavior

Fence lizards are active during the day, basking in the sun on wood piles, fence posts and trees. During the summer months the use of rock perches decreased while the use of tree trunks and branches increased. This allows them to maintain their temperature as the season gets hotter. They tend to choose more closed surroundings than other lizards.

Ecological Role

Eastern fence lizards mainly feed on insects and are themselves prey for birds and other larger predators. They compete with other lizard species for their insect prey.

Conservation Status

Least Concern

Threats & Impacts

Notes