A brilliantly colored Eastern Collared Lizard from the eastern edge of Arizona. This one watched us carefully from atop low boulders along an otherwise flat field, and allowed a single photograph before it disappeared.
Sonoran Collared Lizards (Crotaphytus nebrius) are generally less brilliantly colored than their bright green relatives north of the Gila River. They can be standing tall on top of rocks on hillsides and outcrops, even in the heat of an Arizona summer day. When they are startled (which can happen from a disappointingly long distance) they can escape quickly by running on their hind legs. They have powerful jaws and consider about anything small enough to fit in that big head as food, which often includes other lizards. Personally, the image of large, fast, bipedal lizards that hunt other lizards fills that “I wish dinosaurs were still here” void just a little.
We found this one in a desert mountain range near Yuma a couple of years ago. It let us get some photos, then disappeared into the crevice above.
Arizona has some amazing, large lizards. This brightly colored one is an Eastern Collared Lizard. Based on a number of factors, they may be any variation of bright greens, blues, yellows, and oranges. This one was seen at a Prairie Rattlesnake den, carefully considering if we were something it needed to run away from.
A little dinosaur warming in the morning sun. The Eastern Collared Lizard is one of the most colorful lizards in Arizona and typically presents itself dramatically against open rock and high perches, making it also one of the most photogenic. This one watched us searching for Prairie Rattlesnakes and darted under cover when it decided we weren’t leaving.
