#zebra tailed lizard

[herpsandbirds]

Zebra-Tailed Lizard (Callisaurus draconoides), male, in breeding colors, SHOWING OFF TO THE FINE ASS HAYNAS!!!, family Phrynosomatidae, Arizona, USA

photographs by Dave Lohr

[freetheshit-outofyou]

Nothing like a day in the hills to help clear your head. I kept looking at that oil black water and wondering of my Life Straw could make it drinkable, maybe a test for another day.

[emmebeephotography]

Zebra Tailed Lizard Painted Hills Trail Tucson, AZ August 2021

[skidar]

Darius and Celia are two new characters in the works. Darius is an Ornate Tree Lizard and Celia is a Zebra Tailed Lizard. 

Darius lost his arm in the Civil War after a wealthy Confederate paid him to take his place in the draft. When Darius lost his arm the person decided not to pay him because he didn’t last as long as he’d thought. Darius now works as a handyman for Celia at her boarding house. Celia was the victim of reptilian hate and burned badly as a kid when her father and her were attacked walking home by a bunch of rodents. She’s deathly afraid of rodents and rarely ventures out of the lizard-dense sections of Tucson. 

Though a little scuffed up, these two still hold their heads high and are making the most of their situation. Darius does harbor a crush for Miss Celia but doesn’t have the guts to ask her out. 

Making new characters is the best way for me to branch out in my Skytown ‘verse species. Surprisingly, a lot of southwest lizards have some gorgeous blue, teal and green markings hidden away on their throats and bellies. Better make some room, Delgado. 

[fresherbrine]

[herpsandbirds]

Zebra-Tailed Lizard (Callisaurus draconoides), family Phrynosomatidae, Imperial County, CA, USA

photograph by Roger Uzun

[emmebeephotography]

Zebra Tailed Lizard Sweetwater Wetlands Tucson, AZ July 2021

[ainawgsd]

Zebra-tailed Lizard

Zebra-tailed lizards (Callisaurus draconoides) are a genus of lizards endemic to the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. Zebra-tailed lizards live in open desert with fairly hard-packed soil, scattered vegetation, and scattered rocks, typically flats, washes, and plains. Zebra-tailed lizards are common and widely distributed throughout the southwestern United States, ranging from the Mojave and Colorado deserts north into the southern Great Basin.

Zebra-tailed lizards range in size from 2.5 to 4 inches in snout-to-vent length. These lizards are grey to sandy brown, usually with a series of paired dark gray spots down the back, becoming black crossbands on the tail. The underside of the tail is white with black crossbars. Males have a pair of black blotches on their sides, extending to blue patches on their bellies. Females have no blue patches, and the black bars are either faint or completely absent.

Lizards of the genus Calisaurus feed on a variety of prey from insects, such as moths, ants and bees, as well as spiders and other smaller lizards. The diet occasionally includes vegetation, such as spring buds and flowers.

Zebra-tailed lizards are diurnal and alert. They rise early and are active in all but the hottest weather. During the hottest times of day, lizards may stand alternately on two legs, switching to the opposite two as needed in a kind of dance. When threatened they will run swiftly with their toes curled up and tails raised over their backs exposing the stripes. When stopped, they wag their curled tails side-to-side to distract predators. They can even run on their hind legs for short distances. In areas of creosote scrub this lizard seems to reach highest densities, around 4.8 to 6.0 individuals per acre. This lizard burrows into fine sand for retreat at night and usually seeks day shelter in the shade of bushes. They are also known to burrow under sand for safety when being chased by predators.