Granite night lizard

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Granite night lizard

Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Xantusidae
Genus: Xantusia
Species: X. henshawi
Binomial name
Xantusia henshawi

The Granite night lizard is a flat-bodied species of lizard with a broad, flat head and a soft skin. It has rounded, dark dorsal spots on a pale yellow or cream background. Its scales are granular on its dorsum, but large and squarish on the ventral surface. These lizards have large eyes with vertical pupils, and they lack eyelids.

Granite night lizards most often occurs on rocky slopes with large, exfoliating boulders and abundant crevices, but are occasionally found in coastal sage scrub and chaparral without boulders. They are active in crevices during the day, but move on the surface at night.

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