Lizards in Canada

There are lizards in Canada but only a few species of lizards have been able to adapt to the cold climate in Canada, and all are confined to the southernmost parts of the country. In higher latitudes, the harsh conditions, especially in winter, make it impossible for the cold-blooded lizards to survive.

There are exactly five species of lizards occurring in Canada:

• The Five-lined Skink (Eumeces fasciatus) occurs in southern Ontario in the Great Lakes region.
• There is an isolated population of the Northern Prairie Skink (Eumeces septentrionalis septentrionalis) in south-western Manitoba.
• The range of the Western Skink (Eumeces skiltonianus skiltonianus, "Skilton's Skink") extends into southern British Columbia, where one can also find the
• Northern Alligator Lizard (Elgaria coerulea principis, "Northwestern Alligator Lizard").
• Finally, the Short-horned Lizard occurs also in southern British Columbia in the Columbia River basin (Phrynosoma douglassi) as well as in isolated locations in south-eastern Alberta and in southern Saskatchewan (Phrynosoma hernandesi hernandesi).

The taxonomy of the last one is unclear. If one follows recent research, it is two distinct species (as indicated by the scientific names given here), and thus there would be even six species of lizards in Canada. However, the COSEWIC (Committee on the Status of Endagered Wildlife in Canada) has reported the P. douglasii as "extirpated" in British Columbia in 1992. Since the species seems to thrive well in the neighboring U.S. regions of the Columbia River basin, it seems likely though that it also still occurs in British Columbia.