Striped plateau lizard facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Striped plateau lizard |
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|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Sceloporus
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| Species: |
virgatus
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The striped plateau lizard (scientific name: Sceloporus virgatus) is a cool type of lizard. It belongs to a group of lizards called Sceloporus. These lizards use special ways to talk to each other. They use movements, like head bobs, and even smells to mark their areas. Their colors can also show if they are feeling aggressive. This lizard comes from the northern Sierra Madre Occidental mountains. It's quite small, usually less than 72 mm (2.8 in) long.
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What's in a Name?
The word "Virgatus" comes from Latin. It means "of twigs" or "rod-like." This name fits the lizard well. It has a clear, light line with a dark band just below it on its back. This is how the striped plateau lizard got its common name!
How to Spot a Striped Plateau Lizard
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Body Features
A striped plateau lizard usually weighs about 9.35 grams (0.330 oz). Its body is about 48.2 mm (1.90 in) long. It has two yellowish-white stripes along the sides of its back. These stripes are why it's called the "striped plateau lizard." On females, these stripes often look more like a pale brown.
The area between the stripes can be gray, brown, or tan. You might also see two rows of faint, dark spots there. These spots can be hard to see. Another light stripe runs low on each side, from its neck to its legs. The area between the stripes is usually darker than the middle of its back. The lizard's belly is a solid cream color with no patterns. Adult lizards might have a small, faint green or pale blue spot near their throat.
Differences Between Males and Females
Male and female striped plateau lizards look different. This is called sexual dimorphism. For example, in females ready to have babies, the throat spots turn orange. Or, orange color might replace any faint green or blue. Both sexes have a few black spots on their chests.
The scales on their backs run in rows, diagonally upwards and backwards. They also have tiny pores. The scales near these pores are notched. These scales and pores are easiest to see on males. Males are also smaller than females, usually less than 61 mm (2.4 in) long. They have larger scales behind their legs and swollen tail bases. Male lizards have brighter stripes, throat patches, and body colors. Their back spots are usually less clear than on females.
How They See and Hear
Striped plateau lizards have eyes with a curved cornea. The cornea is the clear front part of the eye. It helps focus light to form images. This is because air and the cornea bend light differently. For animals on land, the cornea does most of the work to focus what they see.
These lizards also have a middle ear with a tympanic membrane, or eardrum. This part is an air-filled space between the outer and inner ear. When sounds hit the eardrum, the lizard can hear.
Where Striped Plateau Lizards Live
The striped plateau lizard mostly lives on land. It prefers mountain areas. You can find them in temperate forests and moist savannas. They are most common in mixed pine and oak woods. They also live in wooded canyons and ravines.
These lizards like hard, rough places on the ground. This includes rocks, fallen leaves, logs, and scattered grasses. They can also be found near sandy, rocky streams that sometimes dry up.
Sceloporus virgatus lives in the Southwestern United States. You can find them in southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico. This includes the Chiricahua, Peloncillo, Guadalupe, and Animas mountains. Their home range also goes south into Mexico, to the Sierra Madre Occidental and southern Chihuahua.
Because they live in mountains, these lizards are separated from other groups. Dry grasslands and desert valleys now surround them. These areas are too harsh for many other animals. Over ten thousand years ago, these valleys were cooler. Woodlands stretched across them, connecting the lizard's habitats. But climate changes have made the striped plateau lizard groups quite isolated for a long time.
Life Cycle and Reproduction
Striped plateau lizards reproduce sexually. They are oviparous, which means the females lay eggs. The baby lizards hatch from these eggs after they are laid.
Females usually lay one group of eggs per year. When a female is about 50 mm (2.0 in) long, she is old enough to lay eggs. She will lay between three and eighteen eggs in a clutch. This happens at the start of the summer rainy season. This is usually from late June to late July. The number of eggs laid depends on how much rain and what the temperature was like the past year. Baby lizards hatch in late August and September. They are about 21 to 22 mm (0.83 to 0.87 in) long when they hatch.
The number of striped plateau lizards is currently stable, around 100,000. However, these groups are very spread out. The number of adult lizards is slowly going down. This could mean more young lizards in the future. This might slow down how fast the population grows. It could also be bad for the species overall.
How Striped Plateau Lizards Behave
Striped plateau lizards are diurnal. This means they are active during the day. They sleep and rest at night. These lizards find shelter and stay still when it's very cold or extremely hot.
Social Interactions
Male and female striped plateau lizards act differently when they meet others. Both males and females protect their areas from others of the same sex. But interactions between males are usually more aggressive. When males and females meet, it's usually about courtship.
How They Communicate
Lizards use signals to share information. Sceloporus lizards use both visual cues and chemical signals. They do this to protect their areas and find mates. For S. virgatus, if they lose their color signal, they use more chemical signals. But their movement signals don't change.
Male striped plateau lizards use head-bobs (a type of visual movement). They also use chemical smells to mark their territory. Males use blue patches on their bellies to show they are aggressive. Other males seem to notice this belly color more than females do. This makes sense because it's used to show aggression.
Over time, these three signals (movement, color, and chemical cues) have changed. Head-bob displays have changed quickly. For example, lizards that live in trees (called arboreal) tend to have smoother head-bobs. Lizards that live on the ground have more jerky head-bobs. So, lizards that use more head-bobs might have evolved to live in trees.
If lizards lose their blue belly patches, they are less likely to have evolved to live in trees. Chemical signals are mostly linked to living in trees. Lizards that live in trees often have fewer femoral pores, which produce chemical signals.
What They Eat and How They Hunt
Striped plateau lizards move by running and climbing.
Sceloporus virgatus are invertivores. This means they eat insects and other arthropods (like spiders). They prefer to catch their prey by ambushing it. Since these lizards don't move around much, this is also called a "sit-and-wait" method. The lizard sits, waits for prey to come close, and then quickly catches it.
Protecting Striped Plateau Lizards
The striped plateau lizard lives in some protected areas. Luckily, no special actions are needed to protect this species right now. The IUCN Red List says S. virgatus is of "least concern." This means they are not in danger. However, their isolated groups are something to watch. This isolation might affect the variety of their genes in the future.
Images for kids
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You can see the light stripe and dark band on this striped plateau lizard as it warms up on a rock.
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This striped plateau lizard is climbing among rocks. You can clearly see its stripes.
