Long-Tailed Brush Lizard

Range

It is endemic to Mojave and the northwestern Sonoran Deserts, the long-tailed brush lizard occurs in the US states of California, Sonora, Arizona, and Nevada. It is also found in Baja California.

Habitats

Loose-sand deserts with scattered bushes and trees are ideal for this species. Especially found basking and foraging on the branches of creosote bushes and trees. They are usually seen on the branches of trees where they spend warm nights, unlike other phrynosomatid lizards who’d rather bury themselves in the sand. They hunt and eat a variety of insects and spiders but they may also be found eating plant material. Females lay eggs in spring and summer with an average clutch size of 19 eggs.

Identification

This is a small lizard (averagely 2.6 inches snout-to-vent length) with a slender body and a very long slim tail. Its tail is up to twice its body length. The patterns and markings on the body vary widely but the usual is a set of gray-brown blotches or crossbars. In some specimens, there are very faint or no markings at all. It usually has an orange or yellow throat. It has small dorsal scales with a granular texture but there is an enlarged strip of keeled scales that runs down the center of the back. Males have two blue patches with flecks of white on the belly.

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