Honestly, I could see little to no difference between photos of Fence Lizards and Side-Blotched Lizards...
alexb0000 provided the following guide for me:
The easiest way is their body scales, Fence Lizards are rough and slightly spiky while Side-Bloctched have smooth pebble-like scales. Side-Blotcheds also have a longer, pointier snout. If you haven't already, check out these galleries:
http://www.californiaherps.com/lizards/pages/s.o.longipes.html
http://www.californiaherps.com/lizards/pages/u.s.elegans.html
Also, to make things even more confusing, in the San Diego area we have a "subspecies" of the Fence Lizard:
The Great Basin Fence Lizard.
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/11118875

Posted on April 20, 2018 12:43 AM by jwparker2