| Long-nosed
Leopard Lizard |
| |
Long-nosed
Leopard Lizard (Gambelia wislizenii)
By E. Patricia Collins, Nongame Biologist |
| |
Scientific
Name:
Gambelia wislizenii. Named after two noted natural historians of the Southwest:
Dr. W. Gambel, who collected a specimen in California around 1852, and
Dr. A. Wislizenius, who collected the type specimen (the specimen used
for the original species description) near Santa Fe, New Mexico, also in
the early 1850s. |
| |
Description:
Large (3 1/4 to 5 3/4 inches long), with a stout body and a long, round
tail; females larger than males. Ground color gray, pinkish, brown,
or yellowish brown above, with light crossbars on the body and tail,
and many dark spots on the entire body. Underside white with grayish
brown streaks on the throat. Changes color easily: when dark, the spots
become less conspicuous and the crossbars are more evident; when light,
the reverse is true. In young animals, all body markings are more conspicuous.
During breeding season, females develop brilliant orange color on underside
of tail and similarly colored streaks and spots on sides of body and
neck. |
| |
Habitat:
Inhabits flat desert lands with sparse, shrubby vegetation. Ground may
be hardpan, gravel, or sand; avoids dense grass and brush which would
interfere with running. From near sea level to around 6,000 feet. |
| |
Distribution:
Southeastern Oregon to eastern Idaho, south through western Colorado and
western Texas on the east and through eastern California on the west;
southward to western Coahuila, central Chihuahua, central Sonora, and
the southern tip of Baja California in Mexico. Found throughout Arizona
except the Mogollon Rim and White Mountains. |
| |
Biology:
The long-nosed leopard lizard is active from April through August. Females
lay one clutch of one to 11 eggs in May or June. As befits its common
name, this species is an excellent ambush predator of insects, other
lizards (including its own species), and small rodents, but it also
feeds on leaves, blossoms, and berries. The feeding behavior of these
animals often leads naturalists to make the most astounding observations.
For example, Department Herpetologist Jeff Howland, who has spent much
time studying desert iguanas (which frequently occur in the same habitat
as leopard lizards), told me that he once observed a female leopard
lizard eat a desert iguana that was more than three quarters its own
size. The leopard lizard struggled for three hours to ingest the iguana
whole. Finally, when only three or four inches of the iguana's tail
remained to be swallowed, the bloated leopard lizard gave one final
chomp and broke off the last unwanted morsel of its dinner. According
to Jeff, it is not unusual for a captured leopard lizard to gape defensively,
thus revealing at the back of its mouth the stump of the severed tail
of some recently eaten lizard.
These little dinosaurs of the desert gain my respect and admiration for
their speed, agility, and fierce defensiveness: I don't recall ever handling
one of them without being bitten. |
| |
Status:
The long-nosed leopard lizard seems not to have suffered any significant
losses of occupied range, nor are any population declines known or
suspected. Thus, it does not have any federal or state protected status,
aside from (in Arizona) the bag and possession limits established through
Arizona Game and Fish Commission Order 43; four leopard lizards may
be taken or possessed per year, under auspices of an Arizona hunting
license. |
| |
Management
Needs:
Long-nosed leopard lizards are occasionally killed by cars on paved or
improved roads, and heavy off-highway vehicle use in some areas could impact
the population locally. In general, however, this species appears to be
thriving without specific management techniques. Protection of their habitat,
including the plants and animals on which they prey, seems adequate to
ensure that they remain a conspicuous and important part of our desert
ecosystems. |
| |
| back
to top |
|
|
|
| Related
AZGFD Info |
 |
|
|
|
| |
|
