Desert Lizards
Desert Lizards takes many different Forms
When you talk about desert lizards, you are actually talking about many different lizards that make the desert their home. The characteristics of desert lizards are that they are a cold blooded reptile normally with two sets of legs and a tapering tail. They have ears and eyelids that are moveable just like snakes. A desert lizard is usually between 6 and 10 centimeters.
Let’s take a look at desert lizards as they appear in western deserts of the United States.
The Desert Banded Gecko is medium size at 6 inches, with short limbs, a pointed nose, and functional eyelids. Females are only about half this size. They are colored pale yellow or light gray with red-brown spots on the head and back. They live in the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts across northwestern Mexico and the Southwestern United States. Western Banded Geckos eat insects and store fat in their tails for survival. They are one of the lizards that can drop off its tail when grabbed by a predator. They are most active at night and during the day hide under rocks and plants. Their most common predators are snakes.
The Desert Iguana lives on sandy dunes and flats and creosote bush scrubland. They are large at ten to sixteen inches and their tail is almost one and a half times the length of their body. They have a cream colored body with rings and stripes that are varying shades of gray and brown. The Desert Iguana is the fastest of all desert lizards and doesn’t mind high temperatures. They are especially attracted to wild flowers.
The Chuckwalla Lizard lives on any rocky desert terrain and is common throughout Death Valley. He is the second largest lizard in the U.S. at 18 inches long--only the Gila Monster is larger. Chuckwallas vary in colors but can be brownish with light or tan midsections. Although they look ominous, they are herbivores, eating only desert plants, flowers, fruits and leaves. They have an interesting characteristic--they never drink, obtaining all water from the plants they eat. Instead of urinating, they rid themselves of body salt by blowing out chunks when they exhale.
The Desert Spiny Lizard lives in Joshua tree woodlands and rocky outcroppings across the Mojave, Sonoran and Colorado Deserts as well as portions of the Great Basin and Central California coast. They can be found at heights up to 7000 feet. The Desert Spiny Lizard eats grasshoppers, beetles, ants, flies and other lizards. It is only active from April to October.
These are only a few of the dozens of lizards that make the desert their home. Most of the time you would never know they were about as they stay out of sight of humans. Still, wherever you have the rocks, trees, water and sand of the desert as the environment, you can be sure they are around.