The western fence lizard (Sceloporus occidentalis) is a common lizard of California and the surrounding area. It is also known as the blue-belly. Not all fence lizards have a blue belly. Smaller sized, immature fence lizards have sand colored bellies until they mature. Though they do not have colored bellies, they are still referred to as a fence lizards. Although California is the heart of the range of this lizard, it is also found in eastern and southwest Oregon, as well as in the Columbia River Gorge, southwest Idaho, Nevada, western Utah, and northwestern Baja California, and some of the islands off the coast of both California and Baja California. The western fence lizard enjoys a variety of habitat. It is found in grassland, broken chaparral, sagebrush, woodland, coniferous forest, even farmland, and occupy elevations from sea level up to 10,800 ft). They generally avoid the harsh desert. An isolated population exists in Sanders County, Montana and may be an introduced species in Montana.