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.

i just got another look at him and he seems to have a black stripe on his underside almost going around his neck...any ideas?

Hello my friend,

what you have there appears to be a Desert Spiny Lizard, Sceloporus magister. They enjoy living near people, on their houses and such so they can harvest the bounty of insects there. They do a good job of keeping bugs down if you don't mind him on your house.

one other thought,
It could be a clark's spiny lizard, sceloporus clarkii.
They're similar, but I'm fairly sure its a desert Spiny.

hope that helps,

-Phil

it helps out a lot. I am glad to know hes harmless too. I dont mind him around but it does catch you off guard a bit to see such a big lizard on your wall. Thanks for the help