Photo: Robb Hannawacker, while working for Joshua Tree National Park · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Desert horned lizard
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.
What the sources say
Habitat: The desert horned lizard is found in flat or gently rolling deserts covered with sagebrush or salt-desert shrub. (Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife)
No official source we use states whether this animal is venomous. That does not mean it is harmless: do not handle it.
What the sources say
Habitat: These lizards are found in open desert shrublands, particularly where islands of sand have accumulated around shrubs and are absent where a dense grass understory would inhibit their ability to run. (Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife)
No confirmed photo of Mojave black-collared lizard
Mojave black-collared lizard
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.
What the sources say
Habitat: This lizard is found in a variety of desert shrub vegetation types, but is most dependent on the presence of rock outcrops, boulders, or talus slopes. (Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife)
Habitat: This lizard prefers humid areas, such as the edges of meadows in coniferous forests, and is also found in riparian zones. (Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife)
No official source we use states whether this animal is venomous. That does not mean it is harmless: do not handle it.
What the sources say
Habitat: The pygmy short-horned lizard occurs in sagebrush deserts, juniper woodlands, and open coniferous forests. (Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife)
No official source we use states whether this animal is venomous. That does not mean it is harmless: do not handle it.
Where in Oregon
Also called the Northern sagebrush lizard, it is an Oregon Conservation Strategy Species in the Columbia Plateau ecoregion. Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
Conservation
Also called the Northern sagebrush lizard, it is an Oregon Conservation Strategy Species in the Columbia Plateau ecoregion.
What the sources say
Habitat: As their common name implies, these lizards are found in sagebrush habitats, but also occur in chaparral, juniper woodlands, and coniferous forests. (Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife)
No official source we use states whether this animal is venomous. That does not mean it is harmless: do not handle it.
What the sources say
Habitat: The side-blotched lizard is found in sagebrush, juniper, and shadscale habitats. (Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife)
No confirmed photo of Southern alligator lizard
Southern alligator lizard
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.
What the sources say
Habitat: The Southern alligator lizard is found in a variety of habitats from grassland and chaparral to oak woodlands and edges of open coniferous forests, as well as riparian zones and moist canyon bottoms. (Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife)
No official source we use states whether this animal is venomous. That does not mean it is harmless: do not handle it.
Size
Adults 2.2 to 3.4 inches snout to vent (body without tail).
How to recognize it
Keeled, spiny scales on the back
In mature males the entire throat is blue and the blue belly patches are outlined in black
Yellow scales on the back of the thighs
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512 records by month.What the sources say
Habitat: The Western fence lizard occupies a wide range of habitats, from desert canyons and grasslands to coniferous forests. (Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife)
No official source we use states whether this animal is venomous. That does not mean it is harmless: do not handle it.
What the sources say
Habitat: The Western skink is found in moist places such as under rocks or logs in a variety of habitats from grassland and chaparral to desert scrub, juniper woodlands, and coniferous woodlands and forests. (Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife)
No confirmed photo of Western whiptail
Western whiptail
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.
Oregon Invasives Hotline. Oregon Invasives Hotline (Oregon Invasive Species Council; "Maintained by Oregon State University"). undated page; checked November 3, 2026.Quoted passages (1)
“Report potential invasive species you've found to the Online Hotline. Your submission will provide vital early detection information to the experts working to stop the next invasion before it starts!”
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