Desert Spiny Lizard

Posted on February 23, 2024 by tspuckler

I often encounter this fine lizard on Cottonwood Trees that line waterways in the Mojave Desert. In some cases I hear them before I see them, as they run up tree trunks making a surprising amount of noise. They are squirrel-like in how they case each other around tree trunks as well as how to go to the opposite side of the tree trunk as a percieved predator.

Usually, during the morning hours, they will be out basking in the sun on rocks or any hard surface that is in direct sunlight, but like many desert reptiles, they seek shelter, usually underground in burrows or any suitable cover that provides shade, during the hottest part of the day.

These are medium-to-large lizards that can grow up to a foot in total length. True to their name, these robust reptiles have keeled, pointed scales and feel rough.

Adult male Desert Spiny Lizards usually have conspicuous blue/violet patches on the belly and throat, and a green/blue color on their tails and sides. They stake out areas and as part of their territorial displays, can frequently be seen doing push-ups on tree trunks, logs, rocks and even roads.

The Desert Spiny Lizard is widely distributed throughout the Mojave, Sonoran and Colorado deserts, as well as parts of the Great Basin and and Central California Coast, in arid and semiarid environments.

They primarily prey on insects such as ants, beetles, caterpillars, flies and grasshoppers. They also feed on spiders, centipedes, and small lizards, as well as consuming some plant material.

These lizards exhibit metachromatism, meaning they change color depending on the temperature. Desert Spiny Lizard change to darker colors during the Winter to allow them to absorb more heat from the sunshine, and become lighter during the Summer to reflect the sun’s radiation. They also change color with the seasons and for mating.

Although not the largest species of lizard in the Mojave Desert, it is spectacular in its own way and quite a challange to catch.

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Great Basin Collared Lizard

Posted on March 10, 2023 by tspuckler

These are one of my favorite lizards and I’ve come across them a few times in the Mojave Desert. With their large heads, powerful jaws and ability to run on their hind legs, Great Basin Collared Lizards are the Velociraptors of their domain.

This reptile is easy to identify due to its tiny scales (which look more like rough skin than scales) and its two distinctive black neck bands. On their body they are often covered with a combination of bands and spots on a background color that matches the desert surface.

Gravid (pregnant) females have orange blotches along their sides and immature males often exhibit this orange coloration as well, to avoid conflicts with mature males.

Unlike many other lizards that can be found on the flat desert floor, this species is mainly found in hilly, rocky terrain as well as in washes and canyons where large rocks used for protection and lookout sites.

Great Basin Collared Lizards primarily eat insects, spiders and scorpions, but they will also use their powerful jaws to consume small vertebrates, like lizards, snakes and rodents. They have also been known to occasionally consume plant matter.

These “miniature dinosaurs” have a neat physical appearance and are fun to watch as they leap from rock to rock to catch food – or as they race across the desert, running on their hind legs like a miniature Tyrannosaurus Rex.

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Southern Coal Skink

Posted on December 9, 2022 by tspuckler

While herping in a Missouri glade last October, I came across a “lifer” lizard. The Southern Coal Skink is secretive and few people know about it. This lizard is small, shiny and brownish-tan with broad, dark stripes down its sides.

This reptile occurs in forests near streams, rivers or sloughs. It is also found in rocky, open glades and seems to prefer open, damp, rock-strewn woods where it takes shelter under logs, leaf litter and rocks.

Southern Coal Skinks eat various arthropods including termites, ant larvae, beetles, crickets and earthworms. Young skinks typically have blue tails (which change color as the lizard ages) and are often called “scorpions,” because they are thought to have a venomous sting. This myth is false (although a large skink can deliver a powerful nip).

Skinks are among many lizards that easily shed their tails and regrow new ones. This self-amputation is called autotomy. Scientists studying the molecular and cellular workings of tail regeneration in lizards may one day help humans overcome spinal cord injuries.

The Southern Coal Skink was a super-cool find while on my autumn adventure.

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Prairie Lizard

Posted on October 13, 2022 by tspuckler

While exploring this glade in Missouri, I can across a small, grayish brown, rough-scaled lizard that I’ve never seen in the wild before.

This is a common species of open forests or along edges of woods and fields. It often lives around country homes and rock gardens, split rail fences and stacks of firewood.

Adult range from 4-7 inches in total length, with their tail being over half of their total length. Males are easily differentiated from females by two bright blue patches on their underside that females lack.

These lizards are extremely fast. When startled, they will often seek refuge in nearby vegetation or burrows. They also commonly escape capture by running up trees.

The Prairie Lizard eats a wide variety of insects and spiders. It was neat to see these cool creatures while visiting the “Show Me State.”

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Western Whiptail

Posted on January 28, 2022 by tspuckler

This is a classic desert species of lizard that ranges throughout most of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. It has been one of the most commonly encountered reptiles on my visits to the Mojave Desert, but it can often be just a blur as it races across the desert floor.

It is in the family of lizards Teiidae, which also includes Tegus and Racerunners. Western Whiptails have long, slender bodies, with small, grainy scales on their backs and larger rectangular scales on their bellies. They can grow to a foot in total length, but two-thirds of that length is their tail.

The Western Whiptail actively forages on the ground often near the base of vegetation and hunts a wide variety of ground-dwelling invertebrates, including grasshoppers, beetles, ants, termites, insect larvae and spiders. They flick out their tongues and often probe cracks and crevices and dig in loose soil as they search for food.

This lizard occurs in a variety of habitats including valley foothills, chaparral, desert riparian areas, desert scrub, desert washes and grasslands. I usually see then in flat, open areas and in some instances they make their home in areas cleared by man.

These reptiles are capable of running very fast and when pursued, escape into their underground burrows. They have the ability of autotomizing (dropping) their tails as a method of evading of predation attempts.

Western Whiptails are fun lizards to experience in the wild. If you stay a few yards away from them, they will go about their lives, moving almost constantly, while searching for food.

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Brown Anole

Posted on January 14, 2022 by tspuckler

While visiting Disney Parks in Orlando, I’d occasionally notice these small reptiles, usually hanging out near vegetation. These lizards feed on small arthropods such as crickets, moths, ants, grasshoppers, cockroaches, beetles, flies, butterflies and spiders.

This species was introduced in southern Florida from the Caribbean decades ago. Since then, it has been slowly expanding northward and is now firmly established not only in Florida, but also in some areas of coastal and southern Georgia.

The Brown Anole is normally a light brown color with darker brown to black markings on its back, and several tan colored lines on its sides. Like other anoles, it can change color – usually to another shade of brown or black.

Its coloration allows it to easily blend in with its surroundings, making it difficult for predators to spot. The Brown Anole has a detachable tail, so if grabbed by a predator, the broken tail can allow the lizard to escape. The tail grows back afterwards, albeit smaller and duller in color.

The Brown Anole tends to live on the ground, avoiding trees and preferring to live in smaller plants and shrubs. It is found in both urban and suburban areas. When the weather is warm, it can be found basking. When it is cold, it prefers sheltered areas, like under rocks or under the bark of trees.

At an adult size of only 5 to 9 inches in total length, it has a wide range of mammal, bird and reptile predators. Despite the extensive list of creatures that want to eat it, this lizard’s alertness and speed make it very difficult to capture.

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Six-lined Racerunner

Posted on October 22, 2021 by tspuckler

While visiting this sandy habitat in Missouri, I came across several of these quick little reptiles. Their ground-dwelling habits and impressive speed are often sufficient to identify them from a distance.

Growing 6 to 9-1/2 inches, the Six-lined Racerunner is the only lizard in the southeastern United States with six light yellow or white stripes down its back.

This species is most common in hot, open areas such as fields, woodland edges and sand dunes; it is almost always found on the ground. It is fond of heat and is active even on the hottest of Summer days.

Six-lined Racerunners rely on sight to hunt small insects, arachnids, other reptiles, and occasionally, even mammals. They are voracious predators that hunt during daylight hours.

It was fun to observe these fast-moving and agile escape artists that can quickly disappear into thick cover or small burrows when they perceive danger.

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Southern Alligator Lizard

Posted on June 11, 2021 by tspuckler

This is a relatively common lizard native to the Pacific Coast of North America. I enjoy seeing it when I visit California.

Their backs are brown with black spots that form numerous bands across the body’s width. They sometimes feature orange, yellow and white markings.

These reptiles live in a variety of habitats. I tend to find them in grassy, brushy, or rocky openings within forested areas. I often find them hidden underneath logs.

The common name “alligator lizard” is a reference to the fact that the back and belly scales of these lizards are reinforced by bone, as they are in alligators.

This creature has small legs and a long, somewhat prehensile tail that can be twice as long as its body. Like many lizards, they can detach their tail deliberately as a defensive tactic; the tail will grow back, although generally not as long as the original.

One interesting characteristic this lizard has is a fold along each of its sides. The folds allows its body to expand to hold food or eggs.

These lizards are thought to be more closely related to snakes than most other species of lizards. Like snakes, they shed their skin in a single intact piece by turning it inside out as they crawl out of it.

The Southern Alligator Lizard eats small arthropods, slugs, lizards, small mammals, and occasionally young birds and eggs.

This a a neat “classic” American reptile that is fun to come across while out herping.

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Sierra Fence Lizard

Posted on May 14, 2021 by tspuckler

While visiting Yosemite National Park I had my first-ever encounter with this subspecies of Fence Lizard. The habitat of this creature is covered with snow for much of the year.

Though the weather was cool and there was still patches of snow on the ground, these reptiles were out catching the sun’s rays. Sierra Fence Lizards prefer open sunny areas and are often seen basking in the sun on rocks, fallen logs, trees, fences and walls.

These medium-sized lizards are usually about six inches in total length and are covered in spiny gray, tan, or brown scales with a pattern of darker waves or blotches.

Their favored habitats include grassland, sagebrush, broken chaparral, woodland, coniferous forest, farmland and even some urban areas. Here they bask, defend their territories, and feed on beetles, ants, flies, caterpillars and spiders.

A protein in the Sierra Fence Lizard’s blood can kill the bacterium that causes Lyme disease, the most common tick-carried disease in the northern hemisphere. When disease-carrying ticks feed on the lizard’s blood, the disease-causing bacteria are killed and the ticks no longer carry the disease.

It was neat to encounter yet another subspecies of this widespread and adaptable reptile while on my visit to California.

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Long-nosed Leopard Lizard

Posted on March 20, 2020 by tspuckler

This is a super cool reptile that I’ve occasionally seen on my visits to Nevada. It inhabits arid and semiarid areas with vegetation such as like bunch grass, sagebrush, creosote bush and other scattered low plants.

The Long-nosed Leopard Lizard prefers flat areas with open space for running and avoids densely vegetated habitats. Most of the times when I’ve encountered them, they were on dirt or gravel roads basking in the sunshine. They allowed me to take photos of them if I stayed in the car, but as soon as I got out, they ran for cover.

Like its namesake, it is characterized by dark spots. A color-changing reptile, the Long-nosed Leopard Lizard has a light coloration in which the spots are very visible, and a dark coloration in which the spots blend in. In addition, during breeding season, females develop orange spots.

This reptile is a fierce hunter that preys on mainly on smaller lizards, though it will also consume insects, rodents and snakes. This lizard supplements its diet with berries, small leaves and flowers. As an ambush predator, it waits in the shadows underneath a bush or small tree, where its spotted pattern blends in with its surroundings.

When a food item comes sufficiently close, it uses a rapid pouncing movement to capture the prey in its strong jaws.The Long-nosed Leopard Lizard has been documented to jump up to two feet in any direction, including into the air, in order to catch its food.

This reptile can reach more than 15 inches in total length and has the ability to stand up and run on its hind legs when being pursued by predators, such as kit foxes, badgers and birds.

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Category Archives: Lizards

Desert Spiny Lizard

Great Basin Collared Lizard

Southern Coal Skink

Prairie Lizard

Western Whiptail

Brown Anole

Six-lined Racerunner

Southern Alligator Lizard

Sierra Fence Lizard

Long-nosed Leopard Lizard