This page lists 6 lizards: all from Montana Natural Heritage Program (Montana State Library) with Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks: Montana Field Guide's Montana Field Guide: Reptiles.
1 is nonnative.
Species of Concern; State Rank S3; BLM: SENSITIVE; FWP SWAP: SGCN
What the sources say
Range: The Greater Short-horned Lizard is found from southeastern Alberta and southwestern Saskatchewan south through eastern Montana, the western Dakotas, Wyoming, western Nebraska, Colorado, Utah, eastern Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona, and western Texas to southern Durango (Stebbins 2003).
Habitat: This species occurs in sagebrush and grassland habitats. (Montana Natural Heritage Program (Montana State Library) with Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks: Montana Field Guide)
Range: The Northern Alligator Lizard is found at elevations from sea level to 3,200 m (10,500 ft), west of the Continental Divide, from southern British Columbia, south into northern Idaho and western Montana, and through northern and western Washington, western Oregon, the Coast Ranges and Sierra Nevada in California.
Habitat: The Northern Alligator Lizard occurs in areas cooler and more humid than tolerated by other lizards (Tevs and Lowe 2025). (Montana Natural Heritage Program (Montana State Library) with Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks: Montana Field Guide)
Range: The Western Skink is the most widespread, and possibly the most abundant, skink in western North America, being found west of the Continental Divide from southern British Columbia in the north, south through eastern Washington, Idaho, western Montana, Oregon, northern and coastal California, Nevada, western Utah, northwestern Arizona, and southwestern California, to northern Baja California (Rodgers and Fitch 1947, Tanner 1988a, Richmond and Reeder 2002), at elevations to about 2,530 m (8,300 ft).
Habitat: The Western Skink occupies grasslands, chaparral, open Juniper-Sage shrublands, Piñon-Juniper woodlands, Pine-Oak forests, and mixed conifer forest. (Montana Natural Heritage Program (Montana State Library) with Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks: Montana Field Guide)
Smaller (adults under 2.4 in snout to vent), less robust, with orange or rust armpits, no yellow on the back of the thighs and smaller spiny scales. Male sagebrush lizards have blue mottling on the throat; male fence lizards have an entirely blue throat.
Photos show typical adults; individuals vary. Never get close to compare.
How to report
Boat or trailer with aquatic organisms: 1-800-TIP-MONT (1-800-847-6668). FWP main office: (406) 444-2535. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks
About this list
The species list comes from Montana Field Guide: Reptiles (lizard families) (Montana Natural Heritage Program (Montana State Library) with Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks: Montana Field Guide, Internet Archive captures 2025-05-06 to 2026-09-02, one per family page (each listed below)).
Venom labels come only from official sources and link to them; "Not stated" never means harmless. How labels work.
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