Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I was born and raised in suburbs of Phoenix, Arizona. I came across this lizard on my front porch last week and since then the sightings have become more frequent. We can get extremely close and it does not scurry. At first we thought it was a type of horny toad, but now we are unsure. It is around 8 inches (without the tail). It is black and brown speckled and seems to have scales or thorns coming out from the sides of the belly area. I have never seen a lizard even remotely close to this size around my house in the 15 years that I have lived here. If you can help me identify it I would be extremely grateful. Thank you.

Looks like a spiny lizard (Sceloporus), but I wont even try to guess the species, someone more knowledgable can help you out with that. I think they have forum to themselves, so you can check that out for more info.
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-Ryan

"Are you feeling stupid? I know I sure am."
-Homer Simpson

Does it have little black stripes on the lower part of its forelimbs? It's hard to tell from your photo, but I still think it's a Clark's spiny lizard.

Sceloporus magister

A common species in the deserts. The Clark's Spiny, S clarkii, is generally found at higher elevations getting into the mountains. Clark's Spinys also have dark wrist bands and different dorsal coloration (though the pics are a bit blurry).
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Randy
Firehouse Herps

i just got another look at him and he has a black stripe or ring on his underside where his neck is

i just got another look at him and he has a black stripe or ring on his underside where his neck is but i dont seen anything on his arms

Both species have the black "collar" at the neck. Between the two only the Clark's Spiny has the black wrist bands. Interesting enough there is a colony of these along the landscaping at Harrah's in Laughlin Nevada. They are found among the ivy and retaining walls by the beach area. They are quite used to people and you can get close to them. I also caught a large Coachwhip Snake that did not attempt to bite. This little beach is also known for several beavers that swim along it at dusk.
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Randy
Firehouse Herps