Baja blue rock lizard facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Baja blue rock lizard |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Petrosaurus
|
| Species: |
thalassinus
|
| Synonyms | |
The Baja blue rock lizard (Petrosaurus thalassinus) is a cool, large lizard that lives in rocky areas. It's active during the day, which means it's a diurnal animal. These lizards are part of a family called phrynosomatids.
Contents
About the Baja Blue Rock Lizard
What Does It Look Like?
This lizard can grow up to 45 cm (about 18 inches) long, including its tail. It has a flat body with small, smooth scales. Near its tail, the scales are slightly bumpy.
Its head is often bluish. You might see red or orange colors around its eyes. The neck is yellow with blue spots and streaks. The back of its tail is gray-blue with darker stripes across it. During the breeding season, these colors become even brighter for both male and female lizards!
How Does It Behave?
The Baja blue rock lizard loves warm weather. It prefers temperatures above 90 °F (32 °C). You'll often see it basking in the sun on desert rocks.
These lizards are very careful and watchful. Their flat bodies help them hide quickly in rock cracks. This keeps them safe from predators and bad weather. When it feels threatened, it can stretch out a flap of skin on its throat. Like many lizards, it can also drop its tail if something grabs it. This helps the lizard escape!
What Does It Eat?
The Baja blue rock lizard has a varied diet. It eats different kinds of insects, small lizards, and even parts of plants. This includes blossoms, leaves, seeds, and small fruits. Sometimes, they have been seen eating smaller lizards of their own kind.
How Long Do They Live?
Baja blue rock lizards usually start breeding in the spring. Females lay about 20 to 30 eggs in late spring and summer. The baby lizards hatch after about 85 to 88 days, appearing in summer and early fall.
These lizards become old enough to have their own babies after about 2 years. They can live for a long time, sometimes up to 20 years!
Where Does It Live?
The Baja blue rock lizard is usually found near rocky canyons. You can also spot them on hillsides with lots of boulders. They live in dry riverbeds (called arroyos) and on cliffs by the sea. These lizards seem to like rocks near large trees or other plants. You won't often see them in areas where there's no plant life.
Where Can You Find Them?
This lizard lives in the Sierra la Laguna mountains and nearby areas. These mountains are in the Cape region of Baja California Sur, Mexico. They also live on two islands in the Gulf of California: Islas Espiritu Santo and Partida Sur. You can find them from sea level all the way up to 2,020 meters (about 6,627 feet) high in the Sierra la Laguna mountains.
Is It Endangered?
The Baja blue rock lizard is quite common in its home areas. It also lives on several protected islands. Because of this, it doesn't need special protection right now. However, since it lives in a small area, it could be at risk if its habitat is disturbed.
