10+ Uncommon Black and White Lizards Worldwide (List)

When it comes to color on the skin of a lizard, black and white are two very common colors. The colors sometimes make up the whole color scheme, and sometimes there are more vivid and distinct colors in the mix. Today, we’ll be talking about those lizards that have black and white on them and making a list of the black and white lizards.

In this article, we’ve discussed ten black and white lizards in a brief while listing the rest. Here areĀ ten black and white lizards.

List of 10 Black and White Lizards

1) Argentine Black and White Tegu

Argentine Black and White Tegu
Argentine Black and White Tegu

Our list of black and white lizards begins with theĀ Argentine Black and White Tegu. The primary color scheme and the distribution of this species are quite clear by its very name.

They are natives ofĀ ArgentinaĀ andĀ South American countries. These lizards are known for being intelligent and able to be domesticated. That is why they have popularity among humans as pets.

As very apparent from their name, the whole body of the Argentine black and white tegu is black and white. They are quite large in size, with a stout, thick bodies.

The base color is white, marked by stark black patterns all over. The markings on the ventral side are less congested and appear as splotches. The tegus have conical faces and long, bifurcated tongues.

  • Common Name: Argentine Giant Tegu, Black and White Tegu, Huge Tegu
  • Scientific name: Salvator merianae
  • Size: males- 120 – 140 centimeters (4 – 4.5 feet)
  • Location: Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay

2) Common Dotted Garden Skink

TheĀ Common Dotted Garden SkinkĀ is a species of nonvenomous lizard found in some countries ofĀ Southeast Asia. They prefer to live in hilly regions. This skink species has aĀ bright red tail during its juvenile periodĀ but loses its color in adulthood.

Like most skinks, common dotted garden skinks are small and slender with tiny limbs. The base color of the body ranges from cream to pale yellow to white.

The body, from head to tail, has several stripes on the dorsal side. Each stripe is made up of several tiny black dots, which are the characters behind their common name.

The dots extend to the limbs and start at the head from a point. The ventral side is complete of the base color. As adults, the skin colors darken to become more muted shades.

  • Common Name: Common Snake Skink, Punctate Supple Skink, Spotted Supple Skink
  • Scientific name: Riopa punctata
  • Size: 35 – 96 millimeters (snout-to-vent length)
  • Location: India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, Vietnam, Sri Lanka

3) Axanthic Halmahera Blue-Tongued Skink

Halmahera Blue-Tongued SkinkĀ is a subspecies of theĀ Indonesian Blue-Tongued Skink. These lizards are endemic to Halmahera Island and its nearby areas in Indonesian territory. They also have the skinniest tail out of all the subspecies ofĀ Tiliqua gigas.Ā 

The original color of the Halmahera Blue-Tongued Skink is black with a cream base color with some orange on the back. There’s a genetic mutation in the subspecies, which causes a lack of yellow and other pigmentations.

Specimens with this mutation are called axanthic.Ā Axanthic Halmahera blue-tongued skinkĀ has white as the base color with black patterns all over the body.

The limbs of these snakes are completely black, while the underside of the face is totally white. The head has some black markings, but those end before the eyes.

  • Scientific name: Tiliqua gigas gigas
  • Size: 46-61 centimeters (18-24 inches)
  • Location: Halmahera Island, Classic Indonesian, Sorong, Aru, Jayapura, Manokwari and Ambon of Indonesia

4) Black Spiny-Tailed Iguana

Black Spiny-Tailed Iguana
Black Spiny-Tailed Iguana

Black Spiny-Tailed Iguana is native to Central America and has also been introduced in Florida in the United States. This iguana has its name in the Guinness Book of World RecordsĀ as theĀ fastest lizard in the world.

Its maximum speed is 34.6 km/h. The lizard uses its speed to outrun its predators but can retaliate and bite when threatened.

Black spiny-tailed iguana has black, gray, and brown as the primary colors of their skin. The dorsal side is mostly gray with 3 – 4 black stripes in the middle; the face and the tail have no stripes.

The ventral side has more of a brown tint to it, with some black marks under the chin. There is a row of white spines, sometimes mixed with yellow, along the vertebra of the lizard. The spines are included in the black stripes.

  • Common Name: Black Iguana
  • Scientific name: Ctenosaura similis
  • Size: males- 130 centimeters (4 feet 3 inch); females- 80 – 100 centimeters (2 feet 7 inch – 3 feet 3 inch)
  • Location: Isthmus of Tehuantepec, Nicaragua, Panama, Honduras, Costa Rica, Colombia

5) Emma Gray’s Forest Lizard

Emma Gray's Forest Lizard
Emma Gray’s Forest Lizard

Emma Gray’s Forest LizardĀ is a nonvenomous and harmless lizard species endemic to the south and southeastern Asia. Its name is an honorary reference toĀ Maria Emma Gray, an oncologist. She is the wife ofĀ John Edward Gray, a zoologist who described this species. Emma Gray’s forest lizard is often kept as a pet.

The most distinct part of their morphology is the three separate rows of spines on its head. The color of the spines matches that of the body.

The dorsal side is a mixture of black and brown, with two stripes of white running along the body on each side. The ventral side is tan or light brown. There is a pale yellow stripe along the mouth with some white coloration.

  • Common Name: Forest Crested Lizard, Forest Garden Lizard
  • Scientific name: Calotes emma
  • Size: 28 – 40 centimeters (11 – 16 inches)
  • Location: Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam

6) Great Basin Collared Lizard

Great Basin Collared Lizard
Great Basin Collared Lizard

Number 6 on this list of black and white lizards is theĀ Great Basin Collared Lizard. It is a species of small-sized lizardĀ endemic to the Western United States.

The species is named after two thick, black bands and the white band in between them on the neck section of the lizard. The bands resemble a collar, leading to its name.

Males of this species are more colorful, with yellow, red, pink, and orange included in the color scheme. Females are more brown and black. The head and tail have white as a background color with brown spots.

The body is brown with alternate stripes of previously mentioned colors, most commonly yellow. The spots in this section are white.

  • Common Name: Desert Collared Lizard, Mojave Black-Collared Lizard
  • Scientific name: Crotaphytus bicinctores
  • Size: 6.4 – 11.4 centimeters (2.5 – 4.5 inches)
  • Location: California, Nevada, Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Arizona of United States

7) Texas Spiny Lizard

Texas Spiny Lizard
Texas Spiny Lizard

Texas Spiny LizardĀ is a species of nonvenomous lizard found in theĀ south-central United States, including TexasĀ and the northeastern states of Mexico.

These lizards show particularly interesting behavior when one male is challenged by another. In that case, the opponents start aĀ push-up contestĀ until one of them runs away.

The colors on the skin of the Texas spiny lizard include brown, black, white, and gray. These muted colors help the lizard camouflage in the dry environment they live in.

Sometimes there’s orange in the mix, acting as a splotch of color just below the neck. The ventral side of males has symmetrical blue patterns on both sides. The lizard also has characteristic spiny scales, which prompted the name of the species.

  • Scientific name: Sceloporus olivaceus
  • Size: 19 – 28 centimeters
  • Location: the United States, Mexico

8) Oriental Garden Lizard

Oriental Garden Lizard
Female Oriental Garden Lizard

Oriental Garden LizardĀ is a species of lizard widespread around theĀ Indo-Malaya region. It’s found in many countries in this region and has been introduced to some faraway places like the USA.

This species’ looks vary widely from its male to female members. TheĀ male lizards are more colorful than the females.

The colors found in male oriental garden lizards include orange, yellow, black, and pink. The females have more dull colors, like brown, gray, golden, and black. The ventral side of the female is completely white and without markings.

The dorsal side has yellow-gray as a base color with brown and white spots. There are several black markings around the eyes, patterned as if radiation from the source.

  • Common Name: Eastern Garden Lizard, Indian Garden Lizard, Common Garden Lizard, Bloodsucker Lizard, Changeable Lizard
  • Scientific name: Calotes versicolor
  • Size: 37 centimeters (14.5 inches)
  • Location: India, Iran, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam, Brunei, Celebes, Oman, Seychelles, Singapore and United States

9) Zebra-Tailed Lizard

Zebra-Tailed Lizard
Zebra-Tailed Lizard

TheĀ Zebra-Tailed LizardĀ gets its name from the characteristic black and white stripes, similar to a zebra’s body, on its tail. The tail curls itself inward in an arch. This small, nonvenomous lizard shows a special behavior where itĀ stands alternatively on each of its legsĀ at the hottest time of the day.

The rest of the body of this lizard is tan and sandy brown, which turns a deeper brown around the edges. There are also brown markings towards the end of the body that become black crossbands around the tail.

The ventral side of the body is yellow, with occasional orange near the neck and chest. The portion under its mouth is white.

  • Scientific name: Callisaurus draconoides
  • Size: 64 – 102 millimeters (2.5 – 4 inches)
  • Location: Southwestern United States, northwestern Mexico

10) Leopard Gecko

Black and White Leopard Gecko
Black and White Leopard Gecko

We’re at number ten on the list of black and white lizards, and the spot belongs to theĀ Leopard Gecko. The species consists of small-sized, harmless geckos whose appearance resembles a leopard.

They are very popular as pets and are thought to be theĀ first domesticated species of lizards. Reptile breeders breed them to get different color morphs.

One of the popular color morphs of leopard geckos is black and white. The gecko originally has yellow skin with black dots on them, like leopards, and a white ventral side. In black and white geckos, the dorsal side is mostly white with some yellowish coloration and the same black dots.Ā 

  • Common Name: Common Leopard Gecko
  • Scientific name: Eublepharis macularius
  • Size: males- 20 – 28 centimeters (8 – 11 inches); females- 18 – 20 centimeters (7.1 – 7.9 inches)
  • Location: India, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal

Other Black and White Lizards

  • 11) Eastern Collared Lizard
  • 12) Canyon Spotted Whiptail
  • 13) Many Lined Skink
  • 14) Mountain Skink
  • 15) Sonoran Collared Lizard
  • 16) Arizona Night Lizard
  • 17) Five Lined Skink
  • 18) Black-Chested Spiny-Tailed Iguana
  • 19) Blue-Tailed Skink
  • 20) Common Blue-Tongued Skink
  • 21) Iberian Wall Lizard

We’ll conclude this article onĀ black and white lizardsĀ here. Let us know what you think of the article in our comment section. And while you’re at it, make sure to go check our otherĀ articlesĀ on jaw-dropping animal facts.


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