Scary looking but harmless

The scaly little eastern fence lizard may look like a miniature alligator, but it is harmless. I photographed the one here Nov. 2, when the temperatures hovered around 50 degrees, after coaxing it to climb onto my finger.

There are several subspecies of the North American native fence lizard. The eastern fence lizard is the only subspecies found in Southeast Missouri. It can most often be discovered on wooden board fences and sides of old wooden sheds where its gray colors are camouflaged best.

Eastern fence lizards are cold blooded. They become sluggish during cool weather and even hibernate when it gets cold.

But during summer and when it is warm, they can run very fast. They eat small insects. Eastern fence lizards must be on the lookout for birds, snakes and even shrews, which will catch and eat them.