23 Mar. By Alexis Blue,

But how much do you really know about them? Though not native to Arizona, Mediterranean geckos also are common in warmer months, Wiens says. They are relatively large as our local lizards go.

These lizards are supposed to have a high level of intelligence, a fact that their brain size substantiates. When it is cooler, colors are much darker than when the temperature is high. To beat the summer heat, lizards generally are most active in the early morning and around sunset — like many Tucsonans. When we introduced a male desert spiny lizard to this enclosure, the collared lizard quickly ran over to assert himself.

The Desert Spiny Lizard feeds on a variety of insects including ants, beetles, and caterpillars. Maybe you've even spotted one in your shower, or stuck to your kitchen window.

Image made with a Canon 5DS-R, 180mm f3.5 L Macro lens, illuminated with Canon Ringlite, M setting, ISO 100, f16 at 1/160. Desert Spiny Lizard (Sceloporus Magister) - Reptiles of Arizona. Brennan, Thomas C. "Desert Spiny Lizard (Sceloporus Magister) - Reptiles of Arizona." Biotic communities including Sonoran Desertscrub, Great Basin Desertscrub, Semidesert Grassland, Interior Chaparral, and woodlands are home to this lizard. Desert Spiny Lizard Sceloporus magister Body Length: 3 1/4 - 5 1/2" Diet: Insects, lizards, and sometimes plant parts This large, stocky lizard has pointed and overlapping scales.

Both male and female lizards set up territories of just a few feet.

They have a long tail with a spiny appearance, which not surprisingly gives it its name. The tactic isn't totally without consequences, however.

There are many species of small lizards living in our desert, many of them beautiful, all of them harmless, and all of them fun to observe. Brennan, Thomas C. "Desert Spiny Lizard (Sceloporus Magister) - Reptiles of Arizona." Sceloporus magister monserratensis (Van Denburgh & Slevin, 1921) was elevated to a species (Sceloporus monserratensis) by herpetologist Ernest A. Liner in 1994.

Tree lizards, desert spiny lizards and other members of the "iguanian" group of lizards engage in this behavior as a way to defend their territory against rival males and perhaps show off to potential mates, Wiens says. In the United States it is found in the states of Arizona, California, Texas, New Mexico, Nevada, and Utah. No.

Craig Ivanyi. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. It is also found in the Mexican states of Sonora, Baja California, Chihuahua, Coahuila, and Durango.[2]. 2015

While the male desert spiny lizards have conspicuous blue or violet patches on belly and throat and green or blue on the tail, the female ones have combined dark patches on the belly.

Spiny lizards come in a variety of colors and hues. Both sexes have brownish/yellow triangular spots on their shoulders. Four subspecies of Sceloporus magister, including the nominate race, are recognized. Attracted to insects around lights at night, they are the ones you may have spotted in silhouette on your windows, thanks to their sticky feet.

Sceloporus magister monserratensis (Van Denburgh & Slevin, 1921) was elevated to a species (Sceloporus monserratensis) by herpetologist Ernest A. Liner in 1994. An adult male desert spiny lizard usually have conspicuous blue/violet patches on the belly and throat, and a green/blue color on their tails and sides (“Lizards “28. The other morning was uncharacteristically chilly for this time of year, with the temperatures only in the 50’s (just above 10 degrees, Celsius) and with a likelihood of some rain. Its lack of distinct dorsal markings (in adult males), distinguishes this lizard from the similar Desert Spiny Lizard. Females and juveniles have large combined dark spots on their back and belly areas, and the blue/violet and green/blue coloring is absent. A female Desert Spiny Lizard will lay anywhere from 4 to 24 eggs during the summertime (“Lizards “28.

These unwieldy and sluggish reptiles find safety in the desert. The desert spiny lizard has a thicker body and is longer than the other two, reaching up to 12 inches — and, true to its name, is covered in imposing spines. ( Log Out /  Click again for a detailed view. Lizards are “cold blooded,” meaning that they cannot regulate their body temperatures and depend on outside warmth to maintain a temperature that is suitable for activity. Sceloporus magister is the scientific name of desert spiny lizard, which is mostly found in the Chihuahuan Desert and Sonoran Desert of North America.

"Lizards." Editor’s Note: Schulte et al. Change ). These are medium to large lizards with snout-vent lengths ranging from 2¼ to 5¼ inches (63 to 138 mm). The fast-moving Sonoran spotted whiptail is an all-female species.