While vacationing in Japan, I found my first “international herp.” This reptile is a species belonging to the Wall Lizard Family. It resides in grassy areas and thickets, as well as around human homes.

The Japanese Grass Lizard is a reptile that is native to Japan and is widely distributed throughout the country. It is dull brown in color, with a dark brown stripe running from the eye to the tail, and a light-colored line underneath.

In terms of size, it is relatively small compared to other lizard species. On average, it reaches a length of about 6-8 inches. Males are slightly larger than the females. Their bodies are slender and elongated, allowing them move swiftly through grassy habitat.

Perhaps the most distinctive feature of the Japanese Grass Lizard is its tail. With a tail that can be over 300% longer than their body, they have the longest tails of any living animal on earth when compared to its body length. Its tail serves multiple functions, including balance and locomotion.

Like many lizards, it uses the sun to control its body temperature. It often basks in sunny spots to warm up. In rural areas this lizard may be glimpsed as it quickly runs across a road or hiking trail to move from one patch of grassland to another.

When in danger, it escapes by climbing up grass or dead branches. If attacked, it can use caudal autonomy (dropping its tail) to keep the attention of a predator while it escapes.

While their primary source of food consists of insects such as beetles, ants, and flies as well as other small invertebrates, such as spiders, isopods and millipedes, they also consume plant matter like fruit and flowers.

Myths of this creature describe it as a small but agile little snake with a venomous and deadly bite. Its Japanese name is “kanahebi” (カナヘビ). “Hebi” means “snake” in Japanese, although this lizard is not a snake and is harmless to humans. Whatever you call it, this reptile was an exciting find for me.

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I often see this reptile while driving through the Cerbat Mountains in Arizona; I have also encountered it in Zion National Park in Utah.

This is a relatively small lizard with brown to golden-brown coloration and pointed, keeled, overlapping scales. It can sport a range of striped or blotched patterns.

The Plateau Fence Lizard is usually encountered in relatively open, sunlit areas with plenty of basking sites such as rock piles, wood piles, and fallen logs.

This sit-and-wait predator watches for prey and makes occasional forays from perches to capture its food. It feeds on a variety of insects including termites, ants, beetles, grasshoppers, flies, larvae and wasps. It also eats a variety of spiders, snails, and small lizards.

These reptiles are active during the day. During the Summer, they are most active mid-morning and late afternoon. Males will head bob, do push ups, and even puff themselves up to warn-off other individuals. In Spring and Fall they can be active all day long.

Plateau Lizards were formerly considered to be a subspecies of Eastern Fence Lizard, but were elevated to a separate species in 2002.

These lizards, like Fence Lizards, are habitat generalists. They can be found on the ground, on rocks, on logs and even in areas heavily disturbed by people.

It’s nice to have a leisurely drive up the mountains and see these reptiles perched on rocks, catching the sun’s rays and hoping for an insect to come within catching range.

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I often encounter this fine lizard on Cottonwood Trees that line waterways in the Mojave Desert. In some cases I hear them before I see them, as they run up tree trunks making a surprising amount of noise. They are squirrel-like in how they case each other around tree trunks as well as how to go to the opposite side of the tree trunk as a percieved predator.

Usually, during the morning hours, they will be out basking in the sun on rocks or any hard surface that is in direct sunlight, but like many desert reptiles, they seek shelter, usually underground in burrows or any suitable cover that provides shade, during the hottest part of the day.

These are medium-to-large lizards that can grow up to a foot in total length. True to their name, these robust reptiles have keeled, pointed scales and feel rough.

Adult male Desert Spiny Lizards usually have conspicuous blue/violet patches on the belly and throat, and a green/blue color on their tails and sides. They stake out areas and as part of their territorial displays, can frequently be seen doing push-ups on tree trunks, logs, rocks and even roads.

The Desert Spiny Lizard is widely distributed throughout the Mojave, Sonoran and Colorado deserts, as well as parts of the Great Basin and and Central California Coast, in arid and semiarid environments.

They primarily prey on insects such as ants, beetles, caterpillars, flies and grasshoppers. They also feed on spiders, centipedes, and small lizards, as well as consuming some plant material.

These lizards exhibit metachromatism, meaning they change color depending on the temperature. Desert Spiny Lizard change to darker colors during the Winter to allow them to absorb more heat from the sunshine, and become lighter during the Summer to reflect the sun’s radiation. They also change color with the seasons and for mating.

Although not the largest species of lizard in the Mojave Desert, it is spectacular in its own way and quite a challange to catch.

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These are one of my favorite lizards and I’ve come across them a few times in the Mojave Desert. With their large heads, powerful jaws and ability to run on their hind legs, Great Basin Collared Lizards are the Velociraptors of their domain.

This reptile is easy to identify due to its tiny scales (which look more like rough skin than scales) and its two distinctive black neck bands. On their body they are often covered with a combination of bands and spots on a background color that matches the desert surface.

Gravid (pregnant) females have orange blotches along their sides and immature males often exhibit this orange coloration as well, to avoid conflicts with mature males.

Unlike many other lizards that can be found on the flat desert floor, this species is mainly found in hilly, rocky terrain as well as in washes and canyons where large rocks used for protection and lookout sites.

Great Basin Collared Lizards primarily eat insects, spiders and scorpions, but they will also use their powerful jaws to consume small vertebrates, like lizards, snakes and rodents. They have also been known to occasionally consume plant matter.

These “miniature dinosaurs” have a neat physical appearance and are fun to watch as they leap from rock to rock to catch food – or as they race across the desert, running on their hind legs like a miniature Tyrannosaurus Rex.

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While herping in a Missouri glade last October, I came across a “lifer” lizard. The Southern Coal Skink is secretive and few people know about it. This lizard is small, shiny and brownish-tan with broad, dark stripes down its sides.

This reptile occurs in forests near streams, rivers or sloughs. It is also found in rocky, open glades and seems to prefer open, damp, rock-strewn woods where it takes shelter under logs, leaf litter and rocks.

Southern Coal Skinks eat various arthropods including termites, ant larvae, beetles, crickets and earthworms. Young skinks typically have blue tails (which change color as the lizard ages) and are often called “scorpions,” because they are thought to have a venomous sting. This myth is false (although a large skink can deliver a powerful nip).

Skinks are among many lizards that easily shed their tails and regrow new ones. This self-amputation is called autotomy. Scientists studying the molecular and cellular workings of tail regeneration in lizards may one day help humans overcome spinal cord injuries.

The Southern Coal Skink was a super-cool find while on my autumn adventure.

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While exploring this glade in Missouri, I can across a small, grayish brown, rough-scaled lizard that I’ve never seen in the wild before.

This is a common species of open forests or along edges of woods and fields. It often lives around country homes and rock gardens, split rail fences and stacks of firewood.

Adult range from 4-7 inches in total length, with their tail being over half of their total length. Males are easily differentiated from females by two bright blue patches on their underside that females lack.

These lizards are extremely fast. When startled, they will often seek refuge in nearby vegetation or burrows. They also commonly escape capture by running up trees.

The Prairie Lizard eats a wide variety of insects and spiders. It was neat to see these cool creatures while visiting the “Show Me State.”

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This is a classic desert species of lizard that ranges throughout most of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. It has been one of the most commonly encountered reptiles on my visits to the Mojave Desert, but it can often be just a blur as it races across the desert floor.

It is in the family of lizards Teiidae, which also includes Tegus and Racerunners. Western Whiptails have long, slender bodies, with small, grainy scales on their backs and larger rectangular scales on their bellies. They can grow to a foot in total length, but two-thirds of that length is their tail.

The Western Whiptail actively forages on the ground often near the base of vegetation and hunts a wide variety of ground-dwelling invertebrates, including grasshoppers, beetles, ants, termites, insect larvae and spiders. They flick out their tongues and often probe cracks and crevices and dig in loose soil as they search for food.

This lizard occurs in a variety of habitats including valley foothills, chaparral, desert riparian areas, desert scrub, desert washes and grasslands. I usually see then in flat, open areas and in some instances they make their home in areas cleared by man.

These reptiles are capable of running very fast and when pursued, escape into their underground burrows. They have the ability of autotomizing (dropping) their tails as a method of evading of predation attempts.

Western Whiptails are fun lizards to experience in the wild. If you stay a few yards away from them, they will go about their lives, moving almost constantly, while searching for food.

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While visiting Disney Parks in Orlando, I’d occasionally notice these small reptiles, usually hanging out near vegetation. These lizards feed on small arthropods such as crickets, moths, ants, grasshoppers, cockroaches, beetles, flies, butterflies and spiders.

This species was introduced in southern Florida from the Caribbean decades ago. Since then, it has been slowly expanding northward and is now firmly established not only in Florida, but also in some areas of coastal and southern Georgia.

The Brown Anole is normally a light brown color with darker brown to black markings on its back, and several tan colored lines on its sides. Like other anoles, it can change color – usually to another shade of brown or black.

Its coloration allows it to easily blend in with its surroundings, making it difficult for predators to spot. The Brown Anole has a detachable tail, so if grabbed by a predator, the broken tail can allow the lizard to escape. The tail grows back afterwards, albeit smaller and duller in color.

The Brown Anole tends to live on the ground, avoiding trees and preferring to live in smaller plants and shrubs. It is found in both urban and suburban areas. When the weather is warm, it can be found basking. When it is cold, it prefers sheltered areas, like under rocks or under the bark of trees.

At an adult size of only 5 to 9 inches in total length, it has a wide range of mammal, bird and reptile predators. Despite the extensive list of creatures that want to eat it, this lizard’s alertness and speed make it very difficult to capture.

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While visiting this sandy habitat in Missouri, I came across several of these quick little reptiles. Their ground-dwelling habits and impressive speed are often sufficient to identify them from a distance.

Growing 6 to 9-1/2 inches, the Six-lined Racerunner is the only lizard in the southeastern United States with six light yellow or white stripes down its back.

This species is most common in hot, open areas such as fields, woodland edges and sand dunes; it is almost always found on the ground. It is fond of heat and is active even on the hottest of Summer days.

Six-lined Racerunners rely on sight to hunt small insects, arachnids, other reptiles, and occasionally, even mammals. They are voracious predators that hunt during daylight hours.

It was fun to observe these fast-moving and agile escape artists that can quickly disappear into thick cover or small burrows when they perceive danger.

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This is a relatively common lizard native to the Pacific Coast of North America. I enjoy seeing it when I visit California.

Their backs are brown with black spots that form numerous bands across the body’s width. They sometimes feature orange, yellow and white markings.

These reptiles live in a variety of habitats. I tend to find them in grassy, brushy, or rocky openings within forested areas. I often find them hidden underneath logs.

The common name “alligator lizard” is a reference to the fact that the back and belly scales of these lizards are reinforced by bone, as they are in alligators.

This creature has small legs and a long, somewhat prehensile tail that can be twice as long as its body. Like many lizards, they can detach their tail deliberately as a defensive tactic; the tail will grow back, although generally not as long as the original.

One interesting characteristic this lizard has is a fold along each of its sides. The folds allows its body to expand to hold food or eggs.

These lizards are thought to be more closely related to snakes than most other species of lizards. Like snakes, they shed their skin in a single intact piece by turning it inside out as they crawl out of it.

The Southern Alligator Lizard eats small arthropods, slugs, lizards, small mammals, and occasionally young birds and eggs.

This a a neat “classic” American reptile that is fun to come across while out herping.

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