Common Sagebrush Lizard

The Common Sagebrush Lizard is small with keeled scales and spines. They are brown, gray, or olive with a blue or green tint and have two pale stripes, one on each side. The males have blue patches on their abdomen and throat. They are a ground dweller and can be found in the sagebrush steppe. They prefer to perch on sagebrush or rabbitbrush shrubs and are active during the warm hours of the day. These lizards are opportunistic hunters and will sit and wait for prey. They eat a wide diversity of invertebrates, such as spiders, ants, or termites. They are preyed upon by various reptiles, predatory birds, and mammals. Egg clutches are laid in loose soil at the base of a shrub, and most females produce two clutches a year of three to five eggs. 

https://fieldguide.mt.gov/speciesDetail.aspx?elcode=ARACF14030

Common Side-blotched Lizard

Common Side-blotched Lizards are light grey or tan, often with black and white spots. They have a dark blue/black spot behind each of their front limbs that distinguishes them from other lizards. The males have blue speckling across their bodies and blue, orange, or yellow throats. They are small and can be up to five inches long. They can be found in rocky or sandy areas with desert shrubs or pinyon-juniper trees. They feed on a variety of invertebrates, such as spiders, termites, or beetles. Males will also eat their young. In order to compete for a female, the males have an unusual ritual of showing off their throat color to the other male. Orange throats beat blue, blue throats beat yellow, and yellow throats beat orange. Females will lay a few clutches a year of two to five eggs and bury them in sandy soil until they hatch in June. 

https://www.burkemuseum.org/collections-and-research/biology/herpetology/amphibians-reptiles-washington/common-side-blotched

Common Garter Snake

The Common Garter Snake is black, brown, grey, or green, with three bright stripes and speckled red dots along their body. These stripes are normally yellow and help them hide from predators. Their head is wider than their body, and their tongue is red with a black tip. They can grow up to 34 inches long and will continue growing their entire lifespan. The females have longer tails and are larger than the males. They prefer wet grasslands along streams, rivers, or ponds. Their diet mainly consists of aquatic invertebrates, but they will also eat other snakes. They produce toxic saliva to help subdue their prey. They are preyed upon by fish, birds, raccoons, bullfrogs, snapping turtles, and other snakes. The Common Garter Snake will flee into the water when threatened to avoid predation. They are solitary, but during the winter, they will brumate (reptile hibernation) with other snakes. They have coevolved with Rough-skinned Newts. The Rough-skinned Newt produces toxins that are lethal to other predators. The Common Garter Snake has evolved a resistance to it, which has caused the Rough-skinned Newt to become more potent. They will give birth to between 15-40 live young each year rather than lay eggs. They live between four and 10 years in the wild but can live up to 20 in captivity.

https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/common-garter-snake.htm

Gopher Snake

Gopher Snakes are pale with dark brown or black splotches and are between three and seven feet long. They look similar to some venomous species, one example being Rattlesnakes, but they are nonvenomous and completely harmless. They will mimic a Rattlesnake when threatened by shaking the tip of their tail and hitting it against the ground. They can be found in burrows, rocks, trees, or dense vegetation in a variety of habitats, such as open scrublands, coniferous forests, arid deserts, coastal dunes, or urban areas. They are active in the early morning and late evening. Gopher Snakes prey upon various rodents, lizards, frogs, and gophers, which gives them their name. Females will lay two to eight eggs, in an often shared nesting site, that will hatch after 65-75 days.

https://animals.net/gopher-snake/

North American Racer

The North American Racer can vary greatly in appearance. They are slender; black, olive green, or grey with smooth scales that make them look shiny; and between two to five feet long. Juvenile Racers have reddish-brown splotches along their body that fade with age. They can be found in scrublands, prairies, deciduous forests, and grasslands. They hunt during the day with sight and feed upon lizards, small mammals, insects, and other snakes by swallowing them alive. When threatened, they will vibrate their tail to imitate a Rattlesnake and release musk and waste. They are nonvenomous but will bite if captured. They are ground-dwelling and will overwinter in burrows or in between rocks with Prairie Rattlesnakes and Milksnakes. Females will lay eight to 21 eggs, depending on the size of the female, that will hatch a few months later. 

https://www.sdherps.org/species/coluber_constrictor

Northern Rubber Boa

The Northern Rubber Boa can be a variety of colors, such as tan, brown, olive, gray, charcoal, or pink, with a yellow or cream underside. They have loose skin that gives the appearance of being rubbery, giving them their name. They are small and usually under two feet in length. The juveniles look like adults with pink coloration. They can be found in prairies, grasslands, shrubsteppes, and various types of forests. They live in woody debris or rocky areas underground. Northern Rubber Boas hunt at night and will constrict their prey until killing it. They feed on lizards, small mammals, salamanders, birds, and other snakes. They are slow and nonaggressive snakes towards humans. The females will give live birth to between two and eight young.

https://wdfw.wa.gov/species-habitats/species/charina-bottae#living

Western Fence Lizard

The Western Fence Lizard is eight inches long and brown or black with black stripes. They have a blue throat and belly, which gives them the nickname blue-belly. While thermoregulating, they can turn their bodies entirely black and will come out during the day to bask in the sun, making them an easy target for predators, such as shrews, birds, and other lizards. These lizards are solitary and will prey upon spiders and various insects. When threatened, they will bite or defecate on their attacker. In the spring, they will mate, and the males will become very territorial of their home. Females will have one to three clutches of eggs containing between three to 17 eggs. They live between five to seven years.

https://animalia.bio/western-fence-lizard

Western Painted Turtle

The Western Painted Turtle is brightly colored and eye-catching. The upper shell is olive, brown, or black, while the lower shell is bright orange or red. The skin is black with thick, bright yellow lines. They are four to eight inches wide, and the females are larger than the males. They are found in slow-moving streams, ponds, and marshes with lots of mud and aquatic vegetation. They are active during the day and will forage and bask in the water. They eat aquatic vegetation and invertebrates, leeches, and earthworms. During the winter, they will bury themselves in mud. The males will mature between two to four years, while the females mature at six to 10 years. After mating, the females will lay two to three clutches of four to 23 eggs in a nest. They will build this nest on a south-facing slope made of loose dirt near vegetation. The eggs will hatch between eight to 11 weeks, and they will live between 30-40 years.

https://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/western-painted-turtle

Western Rattlesnake

The Western Rattlesnake is brown or olive colored with keeled scales and covered in dark brown spots with a black and white border. They have wide triangular heads, facial pits to perceive infrared heat, and are usually two feet long. The juveniles are similar to adults with more vivid colors.  They are known for their rattle, which they use as a defense mechanism and warning before striking. They are venomous but will rarely bite unless harassed or stepped on. Gopher Snakes can be confused as Western Rattlesnakes due to their similar colors and behavior, but they do not have rattlers or facial pits. They are found in the shrubsteppe habitat under shrubs and rocks. They are active during the day when the temperatures are moderate, but as the weather warms up, they become active at night instead. They have dens that they will overwinter and mate in. After mating, the females will give birth to live young.

https://wdfw.wa.gov/species-habitats/species/crotalus-oreganus#desc-range

Western Skink

The Western Skink is a slender, black lizard with yellow stripes and a bright blue tail that will lightly fade with age. Males will develop a red tint on their head and chin during mating season. Juveniles look similar to adults with more vivid colors. These lizards are small at about two to three inches long and have smooth scales. They can be found near a water source in grasslands, shrubsteppe, and open forests. They are active during the day but will often hide under woody debris and rocks when they are not basking. They are very quick, leaving only a flash of blue to be seen after finding them. When threatened, they can release their tail, which will wriggle and distract the predator. A new tail will grow back, but it will likely be misshapen and a duller blue. They feed on invertebrates, such as crickets, spiders, or sow bugs. The females will make nests in loose, damp soil and lay two to six eggs after mating. They will become mature at two to three years old and will live for 10 years.

https://wdfw.wa.gov/species-habitats/species/plestiodon-skiltonianus#regs-seasons

https://animalia.bio/western-skink

Western Terrestrial Garter Snake

Western Terrestrial Garter Snakes are greyish-green with yellow stripes and a yellow underside. They can be found near or in water, usually around lakes or slow-moving streams; however, they are also found in deserts, mountains, meadows, and forests. They will grow to about 42 inches with the females being larger than the males. They have a good sense of taste and smell but poor eyesight. Western Terrestrial Garter Snakes have a very mild venom that does not affect humans and only affects their prey by paralyzing them before swallowing them whole. Their prey includes salamanders, slugs, lizards, and small mammals, and they are preyed upon by predatory birds and raccoons. When threatened, they will release a foul-smelling odor and rub it on themselves and the predator. These snakes will mate in a den. After mating, the female will leave the den and the male will stay to continue mating. The female will give birth to eight to 12 live young after carrying the eggs for two to three months. They will reach maturity in two years, but the average lifespan is estimated to be two years. 

https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Thamnophis_elegans/

Western Whiptail

The Western Whiptail is brown with light stripes and a pink or orange throat. The juveniles are yellow-orange with dark brown spots or stripes. They can be found in the sagebrush steppe, desert, or woodland. They are active during the day and spend the night in self-made burrows. They eat spiders, insects, and scorpions. When threatened, they will drop their tail to distract the predator. They can regrow their tail, but it uses a lot of resources and energy. These lizards are solitary and only interact during mating season. After mating, the females will lay one clutch per year of up to five eggs. The males will mate with more than one female. They will become mature at almost two years old and will live for six to seven years.

https://animalia.bio/western-whiptail