Yellow-backed spiny lizard facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Yellow-backed spiny lizard |
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Sceloporus magister uniformis |
The Sceloporus uniformis, also known as the yellow-backed spiny lizard, is a type of reptile. It belongs to the Phrynosomatidae family. These lizards live in the Mojave Desert and Great Basin Desert areas. Not long ago, scientists thought it was just a kind of Sceloporus magister.
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About Its Name
The yellow-backed spiny lizard, Sceloporus uniformis, was first named in 1955. Back then, it was seen as a subspecies of another lizard, Sceloporus magister. But in 2006, scientists did some special tests. They looked at the lizard's genes. These tests showed that S. uniformis was unique enough. So, it was given its own species name.
What Does It Look Like?
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The yellow-backed spiny lizard is a big, strong lizard. Adult lizards can grow to about 5.5 inches long from their snout to their tail base. Their tail is usually a bit longer than their body.
Their skin is often brown or tan. They have yellow and black stripes or spots on their back. You might also see a black collar on the sides of their neck.
Males and Females
Male lizards are usually bigger than females. Males have a thicker tail base. They also have special scales and pores that are larger. You can often spot males by their blue markings. These blue patches are found on their throat and belly.
Female lizards have a pale throat and belly. Their blue markings are very faint or not there at all. During the time they are ready to lay eggs, a female's head might turn orange or reddish.
Where It Lives and What It Eats
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This lizard makes its home in the Mojave Desert and Great Basin Desert. It is only found in the United States. You can see these lizards in California, Nevada, Utah, and Arizona.
S. uniformis likes to live in flat desert areas. They also live in dry plains, on low mountain slopes, and near rivers.
How It Finds Food
This lizard is mostly an ambush predator. This means it waits quietly for its food to come by. But sometimes, it will actively search for food.
They eat many small bugs and their young. This includes ants, beetles, grasshoppers, spiders, centipedes, and caterpillars. Sometimes, they might also eat small lizards or baby birds. They can even munch on leaves, flowers, and berries.
How It Behaves
Like many animals that live in the desert, S. uniformis loves to sunbathe. In the morning, they will sit on rocks or any hard surface that gets direct sunlight. This helps them warm up.
During the hottest part of summer days, they look for shelter. They usually go underground into burrows to stay cool. When late fall arrives and winter gets cold, they go into hibernation. They stay hidden until spring, when they come out again.
