Colorado Desert Fringe-Toed Lizard

Range

Southeastern corner of California and slightly into southwestern Arizona and the northern Baja Peninsula.

Habitats

They like sandy, windblown desert habitats with sparse vegetation.

Identification

A light-colored lizard with an intricate black reticulated pattern down its back, with tiny orange spots inside the black patterning. It has a wedge or shovel-like snout for burrowing into sand. The head is usually shaded slightly pinkish tan. It is white and mostly unmarked on its ventral side, but has thin black diagonal stripes on each side of its throat, and black bars on the distal half of its tail. They are named for triangular fringe-like scales extending off back edges of their rear toes.

Learn more with Schechter Natural History's Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians