''Holbrookia approximans'', the speckled earless lizard, is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

of earless lizard which is found in the

Southwestern The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sepa ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

and northern

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

. It is sometimes referred to as the western earless lizard.

Taxonomy

The speckled earless lizard has been elevated to full

status as ''Holbrookia approximans''.

Description

The speckled earless lizard is an overall gray-brown in color, with black and white speckling all along its back, with a solid gray-brown underside. It has distinct black and white bars immediately preceding the hind legs. Males tend to have a blue coloration to the white bars, whereas females do not. Like all species of

earless lizard Earless lizards are two genera of small lizards native to the semiarid and grassland habitats of the Southwestern United States and Mexico. The genus ''Cophosaurus'' and the genus ''Holbrookia'' are both characterized by having no external ea ...

s, it has no external

ear An ear is the organ that enables hearing and, in mammals, body balance using the vestibular system. In mammals, the ear is usually described as having three parts—the outer ear, the middle ear and the inner ear. The outer ear consists of ...

openings.

Behavior

Like all species of earless lizards, the speckled earless lizard is diurnal and

insectivorous A robber fly eating a hoverfly An insectivore is a carnivorous animal or plant that eats insects. An alternative term is entomophage, which can also refer to the human practice of eating insects. The first vertebrate insectivores were ...

. It prefers sandy,

grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes, like clover, and other herbs. Grasslands occur natur ...

habitats In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

with sparse vegetation. It tends to be a nervous, wary species that flees quickly if approached.

Taxonomy

Description

Behavior

References

External links

Further reading