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List Of Reptiles Of California
This list of reptiles of California includes the snakes, turtles and lizards found in the US state of California. * Endemic species. * Introduced species. Lizards Family Anguidae Family Anniellidae Family Crotaphytidae Family Gekkonidae Family Helodermatidae Family Iguanidae Family Phrynosomatidae Family Scincidae Family Teiidae Family Xantusiidae Family Lacertidae Snakes Family Boidae Family Colubridae Family Leptotyphlopidae Family Typhlopidae Family Viperidae Turtles Family Cheloniidae Family Chelydridae Family Dermochelyidae Family Emydidae Family Kinosternidae Family Testudinidae Family Trionychidae References * External links {{California Reptiles California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Endemic (ecology)
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsewhere. For example, the Cape sugarbird is found exclusively in southwestern South Africa and is therefore said to be ''endemic'' to that particular part of the world. An endemic species can be also be referred to as an ''endemism'' or in scientific literature as an ''endemite''. For example '' Cytisus aeolicus'' is an endemite of the Italian flora. '' Adzharia renschi'' was once believed to be an endemite of the Caucasus, but it was later discovered to be a non-indigenous species from South America belonging to a different genus. The extreme opposite of an endemic species is one with a cosmopolitan distribution, having a global or widespread range. A rare alternative term for a species that is endemic is "precinctive", which applies to s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hemidactylus Turcicus
The Mediterranean house gecko (''Hemidactylus turcicus'') is a species of house gecko common to the Mediterranean area which has spread to many parts of the world. It is commonly referred to as the Turkish gecko as represented in its Latin name and also as the moon lizard because it emerges in the evening. A study in Portugal found ''H. turcicus'' to be totally nocturnal, with the highest activity peak around 02:00. They are insectivorous, rarely exceeding in length, have large, lidless eyes with elliptical pupils, and purple - or tan-colored skin with black spots, often with stripes on the tail. Their bellies or undersides are somewhat translucent. It is currently unknown what impact the geckos have on native wildlife in the regions they have been introduced to. In many parts of the world the range of ''H. turcicus'' is increasing, and unlike many other reptiles, they appear to be highly resistant to pesticides. The increase may be explained as a consequence of having few pred ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sceloporus Orcutti
The granite spiny lizard (''Sceloporus orcutti'') is a species of lizard in the family Phrynosomatidae. Etymology The epithet, ''orcutti'', honors American naturalist Charles Russell Orcutt (1864–1929), who collected the type specimen in San Diego County, California. Geographic range ''S. orcutti'' is native to southern California in the United States and Baja California in Mexico. Description The granite spiny lizard is snout-to-vent length (SVL). Maximum total length including the tail is . Smith HM, Brodie ED Jr. (1982). ''Reptiles of North America, A Guide to Field Identification''. New York: Golden Press. 240 pp. . (''Sceloporus orcutti'', pp. 120-121). Its dorsal scales are strongly keeled and pointed on its body and tail. It has a wide purple mid-dorsal stripe. The males of the species have yellow-green and blue-centered scales on the body; juveniles and females have distinct yellow-tan transverse bands on their body and tail. Additionally, the male has deep-blue vent ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sceloporus Occidentalis
The western fence lizard (''Sceloporus occidentalis'') is a common lizard of Arizona, New Mexico, California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Northern Mexico, and the surrounding area. As the ventral abdomen of an adult is characteristically blue, it is also known as the blue-belly. Taxonomy Taxonomy for the western fence lizard has been under much debate. ''S. occidentalis'' belongs in the order Squamata (snakes and lizards) and the suborder Iguania. The family in which it belongs is still under scrutiny. The family Phrynosomatidae, along with seven other families, used to be included in the single family Iguanidae, until Frost and Etheridge's (1989) analysis of iguanian systematics suggested the family be divided. Most literature, however, still place the phrynosomatids in Iguanidae. Five subspecies are recognized, as follows: *San Joaquin fence lizard, ''Sceloporus occidentalis biseriatus'' *Coast Range fence lizard, '' Sceloporus occidentalis bocourtii'' *Great Basi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sceloporus Magister
''Sceloporus magister'', also known as the desert spiny lizard, is a lizard species of the family Phrynosomatidae, native to the Chihuahuan Desert and Sonoran Desert of North America. Geographic range In the United States it is found in the states of Arizona, California, Texas, New Mexico, Nevada, and Utah. It is also found in the Mexican states of Sonora, Baja California, Chihuahua, Coahuila, and Durango. Description An adult male desert spiny lizard usually have conspicuous blue/violet patches on the belly and throat, and a green/blue color on their tails and sides.“Lizards” 28. Science Reference Center Females and juveniles have large combined dark spots on their back and belly areas, and the blue/violet and green/blue coloring is absent. Both sexes have brownish/yellow triangular spots on their shoulders. A female desert spiny lizard will lay anywhere from 4 to 24 eggs during the summertime. A fully grown desert spiny lizard will reach a body length of up to 5.6 inches. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sceloporus Graciosus
The sagebrush lizard or sagebrush swift (''Sceloporus graciosus'') is a common species of Phrynosomatidae, phrynosomatid lizard found at mid to high altitudes in the western United States of America. It belongs to the genus ''Sceloporus'' (spiny lizards) in the Phrynosomatidae family of reptiles. Named after the sagebrush (plant), sagebrush plants near which it is commonly found, the sagebrush lizard has keeled and spiny Scale (zoology), scales running along its Dorsum (biology), dorsal surface. The sagebrush lizard is similar to the western fence lizard, another ''Sceloporus'' species found in the western US. The sagebrush lizard can be distinguished from the western fence lizard in that the former is on average smaller and has finer scales. The keeled Dorsum (anatomy), dorsal scales are typically gray or tan, but can be a variety of colors. The main (ground) color is broken by a lighter gray or tan stripe running down the center of the back (vertebral stripe) and two ligh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Phrynosoma Platyrhinos
The desert horned lizard (''Phrynosoma platyrhinos'') is a species of phrynosomatid lizard native to western North America. They are often referred to as "horny toads", although they are not toads, but lizards. Description There are several important characteristics that can be used to identify desert horned lizards from other horned lizards. Horned lizards can be distinguished from other lizards by the large pointed scales that protrude from the back of their heads, giving them the appearance of having horns, as well as the flat and broad shape of their bodies. This species of lizard has a distinctive flat body with one row of fringe scales down the sides. They are a medium sized lizard and can grow up to approximately 3.75 inches or 95mm in size. They have one row of slightly enlarged scales on each side of the throat. Colours can vary and generally blend in with the color of the surrounding soil, but they usually have a beige, tan, or reddish dorsum with contrasting, wavy b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Phrynosoma Mcallii
The flat-tail horned lizard (''Phrynosoma mcallii'' ) is a species of lizard in the family Phrynosomatidae. A species of reptile, it is endemic to the Sonoran desert of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. Its multiple adaptations for camouflage help to minimize its shadow. The species is threatened, with a restricted range under pressure from human activities such as agriculture and development, and is specially protected in the United States. Description and geographic range The flat-tail horned lizard is named for United States Army Colonel George A. M'Call,Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Phrynosoma mcallii'', p. 172). who collected the first specimen in California in the 19th century. The species occupies a small range in the Sonoran Desert of southeastern California, southwestern Arizona, and extreme northern Mexico in the Baja Ca ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Phrynosoma Douglasii
The pygmy short-horned lizard (''Phrynosoma douglasii'') is a species of small horned lizard in the family Phrynosomatidae. The species is native to the northwestern United States and adjacent southwestern Canada. Like other horned lizards, it is often called a "horned toad" or "horny toad," but it is not a toad at all. It is a reptile, not an amphibian. Sherbrooke, Wade C. (2003). ''Introduction to Horned Lizards of North America.'' California Natural History Guides. Oakland, California: University of California Press. 191 pp. . Etymology The specific name, ''douglasii'', is in honor of Scottish botanist David Douglas. Identification The pygmy short-horned lizard is often mistaken for its close relative the greater short-horned lizard (''P. hernandesi)'' which has the same basic body type consisting of small pointed scales around the head and back. Until recent mitochondrial DNA evidence, the greater short-horned lizard was considered to be the same species as the pygmy shor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Phrynosoma Blainvilli
Horned lizards (''Phrynosoma''), also known as horny toads or horntoads, are a genus of North American lizards and the type genus of the family Phrynosomatidae. The common names refer directly to their horns or to their flattened, rounded bodies, and blunt snouts. The generic name ''Phrynosoma'' means "toad-bodied". In common with true toads (amphibians of the family Bufonidae), horned lizards tend to move sluggishly, often remain motionless, and rely on their remarkable camouflage to avoid detection by predators. They are adapted to arid or semiarid areas. The spines on the lizard's back and sides are modified reptile scales, which prevent water loss through the skin, whereas the horns on the head are true horns (i.e., they have a bony core). Of the 21 species of horned lizards, 15 are native to the USA. The largest-bodied and most widely distributed of the American species is the Texas horned lizard. Defenses Horned lizards use a variety of means to avoid predation. Thei ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Petrosaurus Mearnsi
''Petrosaurus mearnsi'', also called the banded rock lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Phrynosomatidae. The species is native to western North America. Etymology The specific name, ''mearnsi'', is in honor of American naturalist Edgar Alexander Mearns, who collected the first specimens. Geographic range ''P. mearnsi'' is endemic to extreme southern California and Baja California, Mexico. Smith HM, Brodie ED Jr (1982). ''Reptiles of North America: A Guide to Field Identification''. New York: Golden Press. 240 pp. (paperback). (''Streptosaurus mearnsi'', pp. 110-111). It also occurs on Isla El Muerto. Description ''P. mearnsi'' is an extremely flat-bodied lizard. Its dorsum is olive, brown or gray, with white or bluish spots. It has a single black collar, a banded tail, and granular scales on its body, with keeled tail and limb scales. Individuals may be long snout-to-vent. Males have more pronounced throat patterns and brighter blue coloring than females. Habit ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Callisaurus Draconoides
The zebra-tailed lizard (''Callisaurus draconoides'') is a species of lizard in the family Phrynosomatidae. The species is native to the Southwestern United States and adjacent northwestern Mexico. There are nine recognized subspecies. Habitat Zebra-tailed lizards live in open desert with hard-packed soil, scattered vegetation, and scattered rocks, typically flats, washes, and plains. Description Zebra-tailed lizards range in size from in snout-to-vent length (SVL). 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. Behavior Zebra-tailed lizards are diurnal and alert. They rise early and are active in all but the hottest weather. During the hottest ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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