First verified sighting of a Western Fence Lizard (<i>Sceloporus occidentalis</i>) in British Columbia, Canada

Abstract

Western Fence Lizard (Sceloporus occidentalis) is known from Baja California, Mexico, north to north-central Washington State, including Puget Sound, where scattered populations extend from the Cherry Point area south to Tacoma and along the west side of Puget Sound to Port Townsend. On 6 June 2020, a single juvenile S. occidentalis was photographed in a Cloverdale area garden, Surrey, British Columbia, representing the first verified sighting of this species in Canada. No other S. occidentalis were sighted in the area, and we could not determine how the specimen entered the province.