Do Backyard Lizards Have Teeth? Yes, Dozens of Tiny Ones

Garden lizards have small conical teeth fused to the jaw and replaced for life. Whether a bite breaks skin, and what to do if one does.

By Zakaria November 3, 2026 2 min read Save to Pinterest

A common wall lizard basking along a weathered timber rail — Photo: Georg_Wietschorke, Pixabay Content License, via Pixabay

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Garden lizards have plenty of teeth — small, sharp, numerous and replaced for life. What they do not have is a bite worth worrying about.

The short answer

Yes — anoles, skinks, geckos and wall lizards all carry dozens of small sharp conical teeth, fused to the inner edge of the jawbone rather than set in sockets (pleurodont), and replaced continuously throughout life. They are gripping and crushing teeth for insect prey, not shearing teeth, so a bite from a small garden lizard feels like a firm pinch and often does not break skin; a larger skink may draw a bead of blood. None of the lizards found in gardens are venomous — the venomous species are Gila monsters, beaded lizards and some monitors. The genuine risks from handling are ordinary wound infection and salmonella, which reptiles shed without appearing ill.

Dozens of small conical teeth, replaced for life
Fused to the jawbone, not in sockets
A bite is a pinch — often does not break skin
No venomous lizards in an ordinary garden
Salmonella and wound infection are the real risks

What the teeth are for

feature	consequence
Small, conical, numerous	grip and crush insects
Pleurodont (fused to jaw)	no sockets, replaced in a rolling cycle
No shearing surfaces	cannot gnaw wood, wire or plastic
Low jaw force	a pinch, not a wound
Continuous replacement	lost teeth regrow

Bite severity

lizard	bite
Anole, small gecko	pinch, rarely breaks skin
Wall lizard	pinch, may break skin
Adult skink	can draw blood
Monitor (not a garden animal)	serious — do not handle

Do not pull a gripping lizard off

It will let go by itself within seconds. Pulling tears your skin and can dislocate or break the lizard’s jaw, which is a slow death for an animal that needs to grip its food.

After any handling or bite

Wash with soap and running water — this is about salmonella, not venom
Do not let children handle reptiles and then eat without washing
Check tetanus cover if the skin broke
Watch for redness, heat or swelling over the next few days
Never handle a lizard by the tail — most species drop it, and regrowth is imperfect

A chewed hole is never a lizard

Lizards cannot gnaw. Damage to insect screening, a feed sack or a plastic container is a rodent. That distinction saves a lot of wasted effort when something is getting into a shed or greenhouse.

Common questions

Do garden lizards have teeth?

Yes — most have dozens of small, sharp, conical teeth, and many species replace them continuously throughout life. In anoles, skinks, geckos and wall lizards the teeth are fused to the inner edge of the jawbone rather than set in sockets, an arrangement called pleurodont. They are built for gripping and crushing insects, not for tearing, so they are short and numerous.

Does a backyard lizard bite hurt?

Barely. A small garden lizard biting a finger feels like a firm pinch and usually does not break the skin. A larger skink or an adult wall lizard can draw a bead of blood. They bite only when handled, cornered or grabbed, and most will drop their tail and run long before they consider biting — biting is close to a last resort.

Are lizard bites dangerous?

Not venomous, in the species found in gardens — the only venomous lizards are the Gila monster, the beaded lizards and some monitors, none of which turn up in a backyard outside their native range. The real risk from any reptile bite or handling is ordinary wound infection and salmonella, which reptiles carry commonly and shed without being ill themselves.

What should I do if one bites me?

Do not pull — a lizard that has gripped will let go on its own, and pulling damages its jaw and tears your skin. Let it release, then wash the area thoroughly with soap and running water. Seek medical advice if the skin is broken and your tetanus cover is out of date, or if redness, swelling or heat develops over the following days.

Can they chew through things?

No. The teeth are small gripping cones with no shearing surfaces and the jaw has nothing like a rodent's power, so lizards cannot gnaw wood, wire or plastic. A hole in insect screening or a bag of feed is a mouse or a rat, not a lizard — which is a useful piece of identification when something is getting into a shed.

Do they lose and regrow teeth?

Continuously. Pleurodont teeth are shed and replaced throughout life in a rolling cycle, which is why an examined jaw shows teeth of several different sizes side by side. It also means a lizard that loses teeth to a hard-shelled beetle is not permanently damaged, which matters for an animal whose whole diet needs gripping.

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A brown anole lizard resting on a garden marker among leaf litter

Backyard Animals · Sep 6, 2026

Do Backyard Lizards Have Teeth? Yes, Dozens of Tiny Ones

What the teeth are for

Bite severity

After any handling or bite