Description: The island fence lizard is a fairly small lizard with keeled and pointed dorsal scales of equal size on the back, sides, and belly. Scales on the backs of the thighs are mostly keeled, and abruptly smaller, and the rear of the limbs is yellow or orange. The sides of the belly are blue. Color is brown, gray, or black with blotches. Sometimes light markings on the sides of the backs form stripes or irregular lines, and sometimes dark blotching may form irregular bands. The belly is light in color. Males have blue markings on the sides of the belly edged in black, a black patch on the throat, enlarged postanals, and a swollen tail base. Some scales on the back become blue or greenish when a lizard is in the light phase. Females have faint or absent blue markings on the belly, no blue or green color on the upper surfaces, and dark bars or crescents on the back. Juveniles have little or no blue on the throat and faint blue belly markings or none at all.

Habitat: The island fence lizard prefers open sunny areas, including stream banks, beach driftwood, grassy hillsides, and human settlements. It can be seen in the early morning sunning on rocks, logs and on fences; the latter giving rise to its common name.

Range: The island fence lizard is endemic to Channel Islands National Park's three northerly islands, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, and San Miguel.

Found in these States: CA

Diet: The island fence lizard eats small invertebrates such as crickets, spiders, ticks, and scorpions, and occasionally eats small lizards, which includes its species.

Reproduction: The island fence lizard mates in the spring. The female lays one to three clutches of eggs numbering from three to seventeen eggs from April to July. The eggs hatch in about 60 days, from July to September.

Status: Listed as Least Concern in view of its wide distribution, tolerance of a broad range of habitats, presumed large population, and because it is unlikely to be declining fast enough to qualify for listing in a more threatened category.

Taxonomy: