Lizards Near Me › North Carolina

Lizards in North Carolina

The quickest way to know which lizards live in North Carolina is to see what people are actually finding. The map below shows recent, verified lizards sightings across North Carolina, and the list beneath it is the lizards recorded most often there lately. They are most active on warm, sunny days once the ground has heated up. All but a couple of desert species are completely harmless.

Recent research-grade sightings from the iNaturalist community, filtered to lizards across North Carolina.

Lizards seen most often in North Carolina

Ranked by recent research-grade observations. Tap any species Huck has catalogued for how to identify it, its habitat, and its safety notes.

Green Anole
Anolis carolinensis
26,400 observations
Common Five-lined Skink
Plestiodon fasciatus
8,688 observations
Eastern Fence Lizard
Sceloporus undulatus
7,610 observations
Little Brown Skink
Scincella lateralis
2,124 observations
Broad-headed Skink
Plestiodon laticeps
1,493 observations
Six-lined Racerunner
Aspidoscelis sexlineatus
1,102 observations · iNaturalist
Eastern Glass Lizard
Ophisaurus ventralis
1,034 observations
Mediterranean House Gecko
Hemidactylus turcicus
1,029 observations
Southeastern Five-lined Skink
Plestiodon inexpectatus
936 observations
Brown Anole
Anolis sagrei
213 observations
Pine Snake
Pituophis melanoleucus
64 observations
Coal Skink
Plestiodon anthracinus
22 observations
Tropical House Gecko
Hemidactylus mabouia
18 observations
Slender Glass Lizard
Ophisaurus attenuatus
9 observations
Moorish Gecko
Tarentola mauritanica
4 observations
Northern Curly-tailed Lizard
Leiocephalus carinatus
4 observations
Mimic Glass Lizard
Ophisaurus mimicus
3 observations · iNaturalist
Common Leopard Gecko
Eublepharis macularius
2 observations
Asian House Gecko
Hemidactylus frenatus
2 observations
Mourning Gecko
Lepidodactylus lugubris
2 observations

Built from recent research-grade iNaturalist observations. Identifications are community-sourced and the ranking reflects where people record wildlife, so a species seen often here is not necessarily common everywhere in North Carolina. Treat this as a live snapshot of what people are finding, not a formal checklist.

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More wildlife in North Carolina

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Looking more widely? See lizards near you anywhere in the country.

Common questions

What lizards live in North Carolina?

Commonly recorded lizards in North Carolina include Green Anole, Common Five-lined Skink, Eastern Fence Lizard, Little Brown Skink, Broad-headed Skink, based on recent research-grade iNaturalist observations. The full list below is ranked by how often each has been seen lately.

When is the best time to see lizards in North Carolina?

They are most active on warm, sunny days once the ground has heated up. Recent verified sightings across North Carolina are the most reliable guide to what is active right now.

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