INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is asking Hoosiers for help spotting wall lizards along the southeastern part of the state.
Common wall lizards are not native to North America, but are also not generally dangerous, according to the DNR. Herpetologists are concerned that the common wall lizard may outcompete native species like the common "five-lined skinks" for food and shelter.
The common wall lizards are native to Europe, but were brought to Cincinnati in the early 1950s. The DNR says that the wall lizard has colonized the Cincinnati area and parts of northern Kentucky. It is beginning to expand into parts of southwest Ohio and southeast Indiana.
The DNR's Division of Fish and Wildlife biologists located a colony in Lawrenceburg in July 2023. According to the DNR, the biologists observed between 20-35 wall lizards living in a rock-inclined embankment bordering the Ohio River. Wall lizards have since been identified in Aurora and Rising Sun.
Additional survey work is needed by the DNR to determine if the wall lizards have migrated to other parts of the region. The DNR is asking anyone who sees any wall lizards in Indiana to report them to HerpSurveys@dnr.IN.gov. Photographic documentation is preferred, but all information regarding sightings is helpful.
According to the DNR, common wall lizards typically occupy urban and suburban areas where they can inhabit stone walls, rubble heaps, stone and rocky hillsides. Most of the populations in Indiana are located along the banks of the Ohio River and can be as dense as 1,500 lizards per acre.
