Species profile
Common Side-Blotched Lizard
Uta stansburiana
Identify Common Side-Blotched Lizard (Uta stansburiana) from a photo — free, unlimited, no sign-up — with the CatchRules iPhone app.
At a glance
Common Side-Blotched Lizard (Uta stansburiana) is an IUCN Least Concern reptile with specific harvest rules tracked in 1 of 66 jurisdictions covered by CatchRules.
Confirmed by 75,305 research-grade iNaturalist observations, with California, Arizona, and Utah the top jurisdictions by observation count.
Notable details
- The most abundant lizard species across the American Southwest.
- Male throat colors — blue, orange, and yellow — correspond to three distinct mating strategies.
- The three male strategies cycle like rock-paper-scissors, with no type permanently dominating.
- Most individuals live less than one year in the wild.
- Females can produce multiple clutches of 1–8 eggs per breeding season.
Where Common Side-Blotched Lizard are seen
Background
The common side-blotched lizard (Uta stansburiana) is a species of side-blotched lizard found on the Pacific Coast of North America. It is notable for having a unique form of polymorphism wherein each of the three different male morphs utilizes a different strategy in acquiring mates. The three morphs compete against each other following a pattern of rock, paper, scissors, where one morph has…
Background excerpt adapted from Wikipedia's Common Side-Blotched Lizard article (CC BY-SA). Visit Wikipedia for the full entry.
Other reptiles on CatchRules
Frequently asked questions
What is Common Side-Blotched Lizard?
Common Side-Blotched Lizard (Uta stansburiana) is an IUCN Least Concern reptile with specific harvest rules tracked in 1 of 66 jurisdictions covered by CatchRules.
What is the scientific name for Common Side-Blotched Lizard?
Common Side-Blotched Lizard is Uta stansburiana.
Are there fishing rules for Common Side-Blotched Lizard?
Common Side-Blotched Lizard does not currently have published fishing rules in CatchRules' curated jurisdictions. Identification, range, and habitat are still tracked above.
How can I identify Common Side-Blotched Lizard?
Take a photo with the free CatchRules iPhone app — on-device identification recognizes Common Side-Blotched Lizard along with ~1,500 other species. No sign-up, unlimited use.
Photo credit: iNaturalist / Wikipedia. Identification reference only — verify regulations with the issuing wildlife agency before retaining a catch.