On this page All 13 lizards Lookalikes When they are active How to report About this list Sources
This page lists 13 lizards : all from DWR's Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, List of Native and Naturalized Fauna of Virginia.
4 are nonnative.
All 13 lizards From A to Z.
Photo: Laura Gaudette · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist Plestiodon laticeps
Non-venomous per Virginia DWR
Size About 6.5 to 12.75 inches in total length. Oklahoma gives about 12 inches for large adults and SREL up to 13 inches. Males are larger than females. How to recognize it Large, wide head; breeding males have swollen orange-red jowls. Smooth, glass-like scales, short legs and a stocky body. Upper-lip scales separate it from five-lined skinks: Maryland, Tennessee and North Carolina count five labial scales between the nostril and the eye rather than four. Oklahoma and Missouri count differently, around 8 or 9 in the full lip row.
J F M A M J J A S O N D
135 records by month. What the sources say Venom: “These lizards are not venomous or poisonous, they are harmless and only eat bugs.” (Virginia DWR)
Full Broad-headed Skink guide
No confirmed photo of Common Five-lined Skink Plestiodon fasciatus
Non-venomous per Virginia DWR
Size 5 to 8.5 inches How to recognize it Smooth, shiny scales Enlarged middle row of scales under the tail (separates it from the southeastern five-lined skink) Tail breaks off easily and twitches to distract predators; it grows back shorter
J F M A M J J A S O N D
593 records by month. What the sources say Venom: “These lizards are not venomous or poisonous, they are harmless and only eat bugs.” (Virginia DWR)
Full Common Five-lined Skink guide
Photo: Judy Gallagher · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons Sceloporus undulatus
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. Size About 4 to 7.25 inches total length (SREL, Ohio DNR); Illinois gives up to about 19 cm (7.5 in). How to recognize it Rough, spiny, keeled scales: the only native lizard in North Carolina (and in Georgia and South Carolina) that looks rough or spiny Often on fences, trees, logs, stumps, rocks and buildings; dashes up a tree and keeps to the far side when approached
J F M A M J J A S O N D
365 records by month. Full Eastern Fence Lizard guide
Photo: Semiv87 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · resized Eastern Glass Lizard Ophisaurus ventralis
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. Photo: Anne Parker · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist Eastern Six-lined Racerunner Aspidoscelis sexlineatus sexlineatus
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. Photo: Peter Paplanus from St. Louis, Missouri · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons Eastern Slender Glass Lizard Ophisaurus attenuatus longicaudus
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. Photo: Mgoodyear · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons · resized Green Anole Anolis (Ctenocercus) carolinesis
Not stated Nonnative
Venom No official source we use states whether this animal is venomous. That does not mean it is harmless: do not handle it. Photo: Sandy Wolkenberg · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist Italian Wall Lizard Podarcis siculus
Not stated Nonnative
Venom No official source we use states whether this animal is venomous. That does not mean it is harmless: do not handle it. Photo: Rstanton13 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · resized Little Brown Skink Scincella lateralis
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.
J F M A M J J A S O N D
61 records by month. Photo: Stephanie Tran · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist Hemidactylus turcicus
Not stated Nonnative
Venom No official source we use states whether this animal is venomous. That does not mean it is harmless: do not handle it. Size Adults about 4 to 5 inches long in total (Missouri gives 3.9 to 5.0 inches); up to 2.4 inches from snout to vent. How to recognize it Warty skin, large bulging eyes with vertical pupils, and wide toe pads for climbing. Large eyes without eyelids, covered by a clear scale. Unlike any native lizard in Georgia and South Carolina, geckos have sticky toe pads, vertical pupils and lidless eyes. Full Mediterranean Gecko guide
Photo: Konstantinos Kalaentzis · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · resized Moorish Gecko Tarentola mauritanica
Not stated Nonnative
Venom No official source we use states whether this animal is venomous. That does not mean it is harmless: do not handle it. Photo: er-birds · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist Northern Coal Skink Plestiodon anthracinus anthracinus
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. Photo: Kai Squires · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist Southeastern Five-lined Skink Plestiodon inexpectatus
Non-venomous per Virginia DWR
What the sources say Venom: “These lizards are not venomous or poisonous, they are harmless and only eat bugs.” (Virginia DWR)
Lizards people confuse Broad-headed skink or Common five-lined skink? Young and females are very similar. Missouri: five-lined skinks do not grow as large, to only 5 to 8.75 inches. Illinois: the only reliable way to tell them apart is by counting lip scales, which usually requires a hand lens.
Broad-headed skink or Southeastern five-lined skink? Tennessee: the southeastern five-lined skink does not have an enlarged middle row of scales under the tail; positive identification requires examining the scales.
Common Five-lined Skink or Southeastern Five-lined Skink? The middle row of scales under the tail is about the same size as the other rows (distinctly wider in the common five-lined skink).
Photos show typical adults; individuals vary. Never get close to compare.
When lizards are active in Virginia Records of lizards in Virginia peak in April to June and August. They show when people record lizards, not how many there are (about month bars ).
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
1,221 records of lizards in Virginia by month (GBIF, CC0 and CC BY records). How to report Virginia Wildlife Conflict Helpline (DWR), toll-free 1-855-571-9003 (wildlife problems; feral hog and nutria reports). Northern snakehead catches: DWR 804-367-2925. Rare wildlife sightings: DWR Virginia Rare Animal Observations Form. Imported fire ants outside the quarantine area: VDACS Invasive Species Reporting Tool. Wildlife crimes: [email protected] or 800-237-5712. Virginia DWR
Sources List of Native and Naturalized Fauna of Virginia . Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR). May, 2026; checked November 3, 2026. Problems with Lizards, Frogs, and Toads . Virginia DWR. undated page; checked November 3, 2026. Quoted passages (1) “These lizards are not venomous or poisonous, they are harmless and only eat bugs.” Help with Human-Wildlife Conflicts . Virginia DWR. undated page; checked November 3, 2026. Quoted passages (1) “If you are experiencing a problem with wildlife, please dial our toll-free wildlife conflict helpline at 1-855-571-9003.” GBIF.org occurrence records, human observations licensed CC0 1.0 or CC BY 4.0 only, accessed November 3, 2026. The datasets behind these counts are listed on our Sources page. 
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