Sceloporus poinsettii
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| Crevice Spiny Lizard | ||||||||||||||||
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| Sceloporus poinsettii Baird & Girard, 1852 |
The Crevice Spiny Lizard (Sceloporus poinsettii) is a small, phrynosomadtid lizard which can be found in the Chihuahuan desert, in US states of Texas and New Mexico, and in the Mexican states of Chihuahua and Coahuila.
[edit] Description
Crevice spiny lizards are typically grey in color, but sometimes can have a ruddy red-brown appearance with a black and white collar around the neck region. Their underside is typically light grey, but males often have blue patches on either side of the belly. Their tail typically has black banding. Their scales have a distinctly spiny texture. They can grow from 5-11 inches in length.
[edit] Behavior
Crevice Spiny Lizards are typically shy and nervous, fleeing up a rock face or into a crevice if approached. They prefer semi-arid habitats, often of limestone rock, where there are numerous holes and easily accessible cracks. They are insectivorous, consuming a wide variety of spiders, beetles, and other insects, but they will sometimes also consume tender vegetation. They are one of the several species of Sceloporus that are ovoviviparous, breeding occurs in the spring, and a litter of up to 11 young are born in mid-summer.
