Gambelia wislizenii
| Long-nosed leopard lizard | |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Iguania |
| Family: | Iguanidae |
| Genus: | Gambelia |
| Species: | G. wislizenii |
| Binomial name | |
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Gambelia wislizenii Baird & Girard, 1852 |
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| Synonyms | |
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The long-nosed leopard lizard (Gambelia wislizenii) is a relatively large North American lizard ranging from 8.3 to 14.6 cm (3 1⁄4 to 5 3⁄4 in) snout-vent length (SVL). It has a large head, long nose, and a long round tail that can be longer than its body. It is closely related to the blunt-nosed leopard lizard which closely resembles the long-nosed leopard lizard in body proportions, but has a conspicuously blunt snout. They were once considered part of the genus Crotaphytus. They are endangered because of habitat destruction.
The specific name or epithet, wislizenii, is in honor of the German-American surgeon and naturalist Frederick Adolph Wislizenus, who caught the first specimen near Santa Fe, New Mexico.
The lizard has granular dorsal scales that can be white, cream, or gray with irregular brown or dark gray spots along its body and head. Sometimes they have dark bars across their back. The tail also has dark bars across it. Juveniles have more highly contrasted markings compared to adults, often with rusty coloring on the back or bright red spots, and yellow on the thighs and under the tail.
The male and female are different in appearance. The female is about 15 cm (5.8 in) snout-vent length, and the male is smaller, measuring about 12 cm (4.8 in) SVL. Both sexes are capable of marked color changes. In its dark phase the lizard's spots are nearly hidden and light crossbars become quite obvious on both the body and the tail. In the light phase the opposite is true with the dominant color consisting of gray, pinkish, brown or yellowish brown hues. During the mating season females develop reddish orange spots and bars on their sides and underneath the tail when gravid. Males develop pink or rusty wash on the throat, chest, and sometimes the body, during the breeding season.
The long-nosed leopard lizard prefers to inhabit arid and semiarid plains growth, like bunch grass, alkali bush, sagebrush, creosote bush and other scattered low plants. The ground can be hardpan, sand or even gravel with rocks that may often be used as basking sites. Prefers flat areas with open space for running, avoiding densely vegetated areas. From near sea Level to around 6,000 feet (1,800 m). Its range includes the Western part of the United States from Oregon to Idaho in the north, south to northern Mexico in Baja California, Sonora, Coahuila, and Zacatecas. In San Diego County, it occurs east of the Peninsula Ranges within the Lower Colorado Desert. They are found in desert flats and lower foothills with little vegetation.
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Wikipedia