What kind of Lizards live in Texas?

There are a wide variety of lizard-friendly habitats found in Texas with plenty of anoles, geckos, iguanas, horned, whiptails, skinks, and leopards.  In the eastern and western thirds of Texas, the Texas spiny lizard is the most common lizard.

The Texas spiny lizard is arboreal, which means it spends most of its time in trees. However, you’ll also find them basking in the sun on surfaces such as high walls and stones. They can grow as large as 11 inches with spiny scales and sharp claws suited to climbing. The male is dark in color with blue patches on each side of the belly, while the females are paler in comparison and lack the side colorings.


Whiptail Lizards are also commonly found in Texas. From the Teiidae family, they include Chihuahuan spotted whiptail, Texas spotted whiptail, Trans-Pecos striped whiptail, Laredo striped whiptail, New Mexico whiptail, checkered whiptail, and desert grassland whiptail.  The most common, Texas spotted whiptail males have a red-colored throat with a blue belly and black and blue patches on the chest while the females only have a blue throat. They are typically tan-brown to green-brown with stripes of grey or white that run along the body. They can grow to 11 inches.

Is a Horned Toad the same as Spiny Lizard?

Made famous as the mascot for Texas Christian University (TCU), there is no such thing as a horned frog or a horned toad. These are common (yet incorrect) names for the horned lizard which also represents Texas as the state reptile. The Texas horned lizard is a flat-bodied and fierce-looking lizard with multiple horns or spines protruding from the head. The horned toad is considered a threatened species so it cannot be captured or kept as a pet.

Are there any poisonous lizards in Texas?

Several poisonous snakes call Texas home but there are no poisonous lizards commonly found in Texas. The Gila Monster and Beaded lizards are only the known species of poisonous lizards. They have been found in desert regions of the southwestern United States but are more common in Mexico and Central America.

What kind of geckos live in Texas?

Texas Banded Gecko

Texas-Banded geckos and Reticulated geckos are native species of Texas.  Rough tailed geckos, Mediterranean house geckos, and Common Asian house geckos are not native but have been introduced into the area and are now the most commonly found geckos in Texas.

Mediterranean House Gecko

Mediterranean geckos can grow to four to five inches. These geckos are of light color with dark patches on their body surface with a rounded snout and bump on the upper surface of their body. The tail of the Mediterranean gecko is round and slightly tapered at the ends with banded brown stripes.

Common House Gecko

House geckos are three to six inches with an elongated snout with tails tapering toward the ends. The body color of house geckos varies from pinkish to greyish and may have dark patches on the upper surface of the body. The underside of these geckos is of creamy color.

What are the little lizards in Texas called?

Anoles are small, non-native lizards that are found throughout Texas. The most common, Carolina Anole is also known as green anole, American green anole, American anole, red-throated anole, or American Chameleon.  Anoles are not true Chameleons and only named due to slight variations in colors according to their environment. They have a long head and slender tail that make up to two-thirds of the body length. They can have a color variation from grey-brown, to brown or to green-brown. They can slightly adjust their body-color with their surroundings due to which they are also named American Chameleon.

Can you keep a Texas spiny lizard?

Texas spiny lizards can be a great pet if you provide them with sufficient space, light, humidity, and other necessities. They can well adapt to captivity due to their behavior and diet.

To keep a spiny lizard, utilize a 20-30 gallon aquarium Add carpet or paper to the floor as well as hiding places with plants and stones that may mimic their natural environment. The temperature at the basking area should be around 100 to 108, while the temperature in the other areas should be 80 to 88 and lowered to a couple of degrees in the night.

What do Texas Spiny lizards eat?

Texas spiny lizards eat a variety of insects. The majority of their diet should consist of live insects such as mealworms, silkworms, crickets, and non-noxious caterpillars. The insects should be smaller than the size of the Spiny lizard head.

If your lizard is healthy and active you can feed as many insects as they’ll eat in 15-20 minutes, once per day. You may want to dust the insects with calcium and vitamin D3 powder to help maintain their bone strength in the artificial environment.

About Cassidy

Hello! I’m Cassidy Lackey and I'm fascinated by the pride Texans have for their great state. While not a native Texan, I’ve been here for about 30 years, first arriving in 1991 to attend Baylor University. I spend my days on an entrepreneur journey primarily focused on my small businesses, Texas Marimbas, Drone Pilots Media, and TexasProud.com.