REPTILES: LIZARDS

Long-nosed Leopard Lizard, Gambelia wislizenii

Family Crotaphytidae (Collared and Leopard Lizards)

Size: Up to 15"

Range: Southwestern Colorado

Habitat: Arid, sandy, or gravelly areas with sparse vegetation

This leopard lizard is fairly large, agile, and stout, with a large head and limbs and a long, rounded tail. The snout is long and the scales are smooth and granular. The color is brown to gray above, paler below, with variable markings depending on the region. In general, the lizard has light crossbars along its back and an overall speckling of dark brown “leopard spots” on its tail, head, and body. In cool temperatures the skin may become noticeably darker; during breeding, males develop reddish bellies, while females have reddish markings on their sides. Active during the day, leopard lizards scamper quickly along the ground and bush, preying on insects and other lizards.