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North Dakota Lizards: Identification Guide With Pictures

Last checked November 3, 2026 against official sources.

On this page
  1. All 3 lizards
  2. How to report
  3. About this list
  4. Sources

North Dakota Game and Fish Department: North Dakota has about 28 species of amphibians and reptiles.

This page lists 3 lizards: all from North Dakota Game and Fish Department's Reptiles and Amphibians of North Dakota, with the North Dakota Herp Atlas species pages.

All 3 lizards

From A to Z.

Greater Short-horned Lizard
Photo: Bob Walker · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist

Greater Short-horned Lizard

Phrynosoma hernandesi

Not stated

Venom
No official source we use states whether this animal is venomous. That does not mean it is harmless: do not handle it.
Where in North Dakota
Short-horned lizards found in and around the badlands of western North Dakota are often referred to as “horned toads,” but they are reptiles, not amphibians. North Dakota Game and Fish Department
Conservation
SWAP 2025 Species of Greatest Information Need (SGIN)
Prairie Skink (northern)
Photo: Peter Paplanus · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Prairie Skink (northern)

Plestiodon septentrionalis

Not stated

Venom
No official source we use states whether this animal is venomous. That does not mean it is harmless: do not handle it.
Where in North Dakota
Found in sandy areas such as the sand dunes and grasslands in eastern and northern North Dakota. North Dakota Game and Fish Department
Conservation
SWAP 2025 Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN)
Sagebrush Lizard (northern)
Photo: Ben · CC0 1.0 · iNaturalist

Sagebrush Lizard (northern)

Sceloporus graciosus

Not stated

Venom
No official source we use states whether this animal is venomous. That does not mean it is harmless: do not handle it.
Where in North Dakota
They seem to prefer rocky areas near water and adjacent areas of sandy soil and sagebrush in the badlands. North Dakota Game and Fish Department
Conservation
SWAP 2025 Species of Greatest Information Need (SGIN)

How to report

North Dakota Game and Fish Department: 701-328-6300 (general), Report All Poachers 701-328-9921, online observation and ANS report forms (gf.nd.gov/ans/report). Report any amphibian or reptile not in the NDGF guide (including released pets or bullfrogs) to NDGF. Unusual ticks: submit a picture to ND HHS via its tickborne page. North Dakota Game and Fish Department

About this list

The species list comes from Reptiles and Amphibians of North Dakota (NDGF, printed August 2015), with the North Dakota Herp Atlas species pages (NDSU/NDGF, updated April 21, 2024) (North Dakota Game and Fish Department, Printed August 2015; Herp Atlas last update April 21, 2024).

Venom labels come only from official sources and link to them; "Not stated" never means harmless. How labels work.

Sources

  1. Contact Us. North Dakota Game and Fish Department. undated page; checked November 3, 2026.
    Quoted passages (1)
    “General Information: 701-328-6300”
  2. Reptiles and Amphibians of North Dakota (by Sandra Johnson). North Dakota Game and Fish Department. archived copy, captured July 14, 2024; checked November 3, 2026.
    Quoted passages (1)
    “North Dakota has about 28 species of amphibians and reptiles.”