Colorado lizards: ID chart
20 lizards. Last checked November 3, 2026.
The lizards are listed from A to Z, each with a photo where we have one and a short note on where it lives in Colorado. The chart prints on letter or A4 paper; on screen, open any name on the Colorado lizards page for photos, range and sources.
Colorado Checkered Whiptail
Aspidoscelis neotesselatus
Not stated
Endemic to southeastern Colorado below 7,000 feet …
Common Checkered Whiptail
Aspidoscelis tesselata
Not stated
Scattered locations in southeastern Colorado.
Common Lesser Earless Lizard
Holbrookia maculata
Not stated
Eastern Colorado and Montezuma County in western Colorado.
Common Sagebrush Lizard
Sceloporous graciosus
Not stated
Colorado Distribution: Much of the western third of the state up to 7,000 feet elevation, though can get up …
Common Side-Blotched Lizard
Uta stansburiana
Not stated
Throughout much of lowland western Colorado …
Desert Spiny Lizard
Sceloporous magister
Not stated
Extreme Southwestern corner, Montezuma County, below 5,100 feet.
Eastern Collared Lizard
Crotaphytus collaris
Not stated
Southeastern Colorado, mainly south of the Arkansas River; southwestern and west-central Colorado, south of …
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Great Plains Skink
Plestiodon (Eumeces) obsoletus
Not stated
Most common in the Arkansas River drainage in southeastern Colorado (to about 7,200 feet), also occurs …
Hernandez's Short-Horned Lizard
Phrynosoma hernandesi
Not stated
Throughout most of western, southern, and eastern Colorado, but absent from high mountains in the central …
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Long-nosed Leopard Lizard
Gambelia wislizenii
Not stated
Colorado Distribution: Far western border, in Garfield, Mesa, and Montezuma counties.
Many-Lined Skink
Plestiodon multivirgatus
Not stated
Colorado Distribution: Northeastern and east-central Colorado, at elevation principally below 5,500 feet …
Ornate Tree Lizard
Urosaurus ornata
Not stated
Western quarter of the state, up to 8,000 feet elevation (lower in the north).
Plateau Fence Lizard
Sceloporus tristichus
Not stated
Throughout most of Colorado, except the high mountains in the central part of the state.
Plateau Striped Whiptail
Aspidoscelis velox
Not stated
Mainly Southwestern Colorado below 7,500 feet, with populations found as far north as Garfield and Eagle …
Prairie Lizard
Sceloporus consobrinus
Not stated
Throughout most of Colorado, except the high mountains in the central part of the state.
Round-tailed Horned Lizard
Phrynosoma modestum
Not stated
Known to be in only a few locations in southeastern Colorado.
Six-lined Racerunner
Aspidoscelis (Cnemidophorus) sexlineata
Not stated
Throughout eastern Colorado to the margins of the mountains. Common.
Texas Horned Lizard
Phrynosoma cornutum
Not stated
Southeastern Colorado, almost entirely south of the Arkansas River. Fairly common.
Tiger Whiptail
Aspidoscelis tigris
Not stated
Extreme Western Colorado below 6,000 feet.
Variable Skink
Not stated
A picture cannot confirm what an animal is or that it is safe. Never handle a wild animal. Sources: Species Profile List, filtered to Type = Reptile (Colorado Parks and Wildlife); Species profile: Colorado Checkered Whiptail (Colorado Parks and Wildlife); Species profile: Common Checkered Whiptail (Colorado Parks and Wildlife); Species profile: Common Lesser Earless Lizard (Colorado Parks and Wildlife); Species profile: Common Sagebrush Lizard (Colorado Parks and Wildlife); Species profile: Common Side-Blotched Lizard (Colorado Parks and Wildlife); and others listed on the web page. stateswildlife.com/colorado/lizards/