Northern Alligator Lizard vs. Western Skink

Both are long, short-legged lizards of western Montana that hide under rocks and logs, and the Alligator Lizard can look like a skink at first glance. A: the Alligator Lizard's scales are squarish and keeled, set in neat rows like armour, so it looks dull and stiff; the Western Skink's are smooth, rounded and glossy. B: the Alligator Lizard has a deep fold of skin along each side of the body, from behind the jaw to the hind leg; skinks have none. C: the Western Skink has bold pale and dark stripes along the back and sides (and a bright blue tail when young); the Alligator Lizard is brown, olive or grey with dark spots or wavy crossbars, or nearly plain, and has dark eyes.

Photographs via iNaturalist under Creative Commons licences; the photographers are credited on the sheet.

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