SPINY LIZARD
RELATED LINKS:
WILDLIFE
- Red Racer
- Gopher Snake
- Glossy Snake
- Common Kingsnake
- Mojave Rattlesnake
- Speckled Rattlesnake
- Panamint Rattlesnake
- Desert Sindwinder
- Diamondback Rattlesnake
- Great Basin Rattlesnake
- Gila Monster
- Chuckwalla
- Leopard Lizard
- Collard Lizard
- Spiny Lizard
- Desert Iguana
- Desert Whiptail
ANIMAL MOTION AND BODY COVERINGS
- Vocabulary
- Book List
- Web Resources
Desert Spiny Lizard
This five to six inch-long, brown to charcoal gray lizard is sometimes seen on patio and house walls in town. It is an excellent climber. Although the spiny can live in hot deserts it seems to prefer cooler places where water is available, thus it is attracted to people’s yards. In the desert this lizard is commonly found on Joshua trees, and when the Joshua’s flowers bloom the spiny can often be seen near the flowers, catching insects attracted by their sweet smell. Spiny lizards get their name from the small points on their scale tips. They are also sometimes called “bluebellys,” because their underside is bright blue. Though not venomous, this is another lizard that willingly bites and bites hard.
