4. Usually, during the morning hours, it will be out basking in the sun on rocks or any hard surface that is in direct sunlight, but like many desert reptiles, it will seek shelter, usually underground in burrows or any suitable cover that provides shade, during the hottest part of the day in the summertime, as shade provides cooler temperatures than on the ground's surface. DISTRIBUTION: The Desert Spiny Lizard ranges across the deserts of southwestern Arizona and the northeastern plateaus at elevations ranging from near sea level along the Colorado River to about about 5,000'. Hatchlings may appear as early as late May but usually begin to emerge in July. 2005. They might seek a shady spot or retreat into a rock crevice or abandoned rodent burrow, Wiens says. It hibernates during the cold months of winter and late fall. Some even engage in intimidating behavior; for example, the regal horned lizard — known colloquially as the horned toad — may squirt blood out of its eyes when it gets upset. It hibernates in late fall and during the cold months of winter before re-emerging in spring. In the United States it is found in the states of Arizona, California, Texas, New Mexico, Nevada, and Utah. The fast-moving Sonoran spotted whiptail is an all-female species. DIET: The Desert Spiny Lizard feeds on a variety of insects including ants, beetles, and caterpillars.

Degenhardt, W. G., Painter, C. W., and Price, A. H.. 1996.

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. Brennan, Thomas C. "Desert Spiny Lizard (Sceloporus Magister) - Reptiles of Arizona." It also feeds on spiders, centipedes, and small lizards. Biotic communities including Sonoran Desertscrub, Great Basin Desertscrub, Semidesert Grassland, Interior Chaparral, and woodlands are home to this lizard. It flees down into the inner tangles of pack rat nests, rock crevices, or burrows when threatened. Desert Spiny Lizard (Sceloporus Magister) - Reptiles of Arizona. Geographic Variation in Sceloporus magister. Or, stay in the loop using our Amazon Alexa skill. Craig Ivanyi. What can it teach America? The Desert Spiny Lizard feeds on a variety of insects including ants, beetles, and caterpillars. They even engage in pseudo copulation, with each taking turns acting as the male and experiencing hormone cycles that more closely mimic that of a male. The tactic isn't totally without consequences, however.

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. Besides their bright colors, the desert spiny lizard changes to darker colors during the winter to allow them to absorb more heat from the sun, and become lighter during the summer to reflect the sun's radiation. In fact, Gila monsters, native to the Southwestern U.S. and Sonora, Mexico, are the only venomous lizards in Arizona, and bites from them are rare, Wiens says. Description. With masks and other measures, it subsided. Females and juveniles have large combined dark spots on their back and belly areas, and the blue/violet and green/blue coloring is absent. Maybe you've even spotted one in your shower, or stuck to your kitchen window. It also feeds on spiders, centipedes, and small lizards. © 2020 The Arizona Board of Regents on behalf of The University of Arizona. Though not native to Arizona, Mediterranean geckos also are common in warmer months, Wiens says. Web. Related Species. All content on this website is copyrighted © 2008 Thomas C. Brennan.

Reptiles & Amphibians Of The West (1974): 28. They're also fascinating creatures, with some unique quirks that set them apart from other desert dwellers. Wiens says research has shown that lizards without tails tend to lose social status with their peers and may have a harder time defending territories or getting mates. Brattstrom. Phoenix, AZ Sceloporus magister uniformis was elevated to species status in 2006 (Sceloporus uniformis), when genetic analysis revealed that it is sufficiently distinct to merit classification as its own species.[3]. By Alexis Blue, Both male and female lizards set up territories of just a few feet. Clutch size ranges from 2 to 12 eggs.

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. S. uniformis "…tends to be yellow to tan above, without markings or with less distinctive markings than the Desert Spiny Lizard." Base coloration is gray, tan, or brown. A Field Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles of Maricopa County. Albuquerque. The whiptail and desert spiny lizards are active mostly in the warmer months, from March to October. BEHAVIOR: This diurnal lizard basks on the branches of trees, on rocks, or on other sunlit perches. If you live in Tucson, you're accustomed to seeing lizards. Wiens shared some insights into how lizards behave: 1. University of New Mexico Press. "They pretty much like the same temperatures that we do.". It has a strong jaw and often bites when captured.

Amphibians and Reptiles of New Mexico. Sceloporus magister monserratensis (Van Denburgh & Slevin, 1921) was elevated to a species (Sceloporus monserratensis) by herpetologist Ernest A. Liner in 1994. You might have seen a lizard doing pushups in your yard, on a wall or on the side of a tree.

Article was last reviewed on 13th June 2019. Sceloporus magister, also known as the desert spiny lizard, is a lizard species of the family Phrynosomatidae, native to the Chihuahuan Desert and Sonoran Desert of North America. The similar Yarrow's Spiny Lizard has a complete collar. Brennan, T. C., & A. T. Holycross.

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