i just went on a hike in payson,AZ and seen a lizard..?

Question

it was a black lizard and i've been looking for about an hour on the web to identify it and am still coming up empty. can anyone tell me what it is or a link that would be helpful?

haysoos those are the pages i already seen. it is a bit like the skink but it was shaped a lil different and it was pitch black...didn't see the underbelly.

Answer 1

How big was the lizard? Where there any other distinguishing features?

If it was quite big, like a big, black iguana, I'd say it might be a Chuckwalla:

http://www.reptilesofaz.com/Lizards-Subpages/h-s-ater.html

Smaller and spiky, it might be a Clark's Spiny Lizard

http://www.reptilesofaz.com/Lizards-Subpages/h-s-clarkii.html

Slender and smooth, it might be something like a Gilbert's skink

http://www.reptilesofaz.com/Lizards-Subpages/h-e-gilberti.html

If those don't help, check out the other species on this page:

http://www.reptilesofaz.com/herp-lizards.html

Answer 2

Komodo Dragon
The Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis) is the largest lizard in the world, growing to an average length of 2-3 meters (10 feet). In the wild large adults tend to weigh around 70kg (154 pounds). Captive specimens often weigh more. The largest verified specimen was 3.13 meters (10 feet 3 inches) long and weighed 166kg (365 pounds) including undigested food. [1] It is a member of the monitor lizard family, Varanidae, and inhabits various islands in Indonesia. The papua monitor, Varanus salvadorii may surpass the Komodo in length but it is slimmer and weighs less. [2]

Sightings of the Komodo dragon were first reported to Europeans in 1910. Widespread knowledge came after 1912, in which Peter Ouwens, the director of the Zoological Museum at Bogor, Java, published a paper on the topic. In 1980 the Komodo National Park was founded to help protect their population.

Answer 3

sounds like some sort of skink, don't think there are any black lizards. Look on enature.com they have a reptile field guide online.