Species profile
Common Side-Blotched Lizard
Uta stansburiana
At a glance
Common Side-Blotched Lizard (Uta stansburiana) is an IUCN Least Concern reptile with specific harvest rules tracked in 1 of 65 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
Jurisdictions with rules for Common Side-Blotched Lizard
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
Photo credit: iNaturalist / Wikipedia. Identification reference only — verify regulations with the issuing wildlife agency before retaining a catch.