lizards, 2012

I suppose my time spent on lizard photography decreased a bit during 2012, and I paused to shoot specimens mostly when it was easy to.

Most of these are collared lizards.  Until I got out into their habitat more, I considered this a less familiar species.  I think it’s familiar now.

late April 2012, great basin collared liz (Crotaphytus bicintores), small adult male, Confusion Range, Millard Co, UT

This one was basking on a rock in the middle of a dry wash.  Late April is probably the earliest I’ve seen this species.  I had been to the same area on a warm weekend in late March 2012, and the western fence and sideblotch lizards were out then, but I did not see a collared lizard that early.

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mid May 2012, great basin collared liz (Crotaphytus bicintores), subadult, Confusion Range, Millard Co, UT

I lean toward calling this specimen a young female, based on its pattern; but I got no closer than this shot and am not sure, so I’ll call it a “subadult.”

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mid May 2012, habitat of great basin collared liz (Crotaphytus bicintores), subadult, Confusion Range, Millard Co, UT

I found it here on this grassier, N-facing side of the canyon, where the smaller lizard species it preys on seem less dense than on the S-facing slope and in the canyon bottom.

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late May 2012, great basin collared liz (Crotaphytus bicintores), old adult male (a), surveying his domain, Fish Springs Range, Juab Co, UT

I came upon this old male perched like this, facing down this W-facing slope in the late morning.

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Different shot of specimen above:

late May 2012, great basin collared liz (Crotaphytus bicintores), old adult male (b), Fish Springs Range, Juab Co, UT

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Different shot of specimen above:

late May 2012, great basin collared liz (Crotaphytus bicintores), old adult male (c), Fish Springs Range, Juab Co, UT

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mid June 2012, western fence liz (Sceloporus occidentalis), subadult on singleleaf pinion trunk, W Oquirrh Mtns, Tooele Co, UT

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mid June 2012, great basin collared liz (Crotaphytus bicintores), scrawny juvenile (a), W Oquirrh Mtns, Tooele Co, UT

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Different shot of specimen above:

mid June 2012, great basin collared liz (Crotaphytus bicintores), scrawny juvenile (b), W Oquirrh Mtns, Tooele Co, UT

Of all this post’s specimens, this scrawny little collared lizard is the most significant for me.  It’s my first of its species I’ve seen in the Oquirrh Mtns.  If you had asked me before seeing this one, I would have said the species probably did not occur in this area, since I’d spent enough time there to see five other lizard species but not collared lizard.  But now, no longer will I arrogantly presume collared lizards do not live in the Oquirrh Mtns–although perhaps at fairly low density.  I still have not come across either of Utah’s horned lizard species along the Oquirrhs, but maybe I’ll see one of them someday.

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late June 2012, eastern fence liz (Sceloporus undulatus), adult male, E of Cedar City, Cedar Cyn area, Iron Co, UT

This guy had plentiful small black ticks under scales along his neck.  2012 was the season I learned to notice small black ticks on fence lizards in places other than the depression behind the ears.  That depression is where such ticks can grow quite large.  Smaller blackish ticks can occur all along the dorsum, and you can spot them by looking for protrusions in the pattern of the outer scales.  Ticks on fence lizards are more common than I used to think.

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early July 2012, sagebrush liz (Sceloporus graciosus), adult, W Oquirrh Mtns, Tooele Co, UT

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lizards, 2011

Lizards from 2011 are in two previous posts, “special lizards, 2011-2012” and “lizard pairs, 2011”; but here are some other lizards from 2011.

Maybe someday I’ll stop pausing occasionally to capture photos like these of easily-seen lizard species, but I have not reached that point yet.

early April 2011, sideblotch liz (Uta stansburiana), adult male, foothills of SE Oquirrh Mtns, Utah Co, UT

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early April 2011, habitat of sideblotch liz (Uta stansburiana), adult male, foothills of SE Oquirrh Mtns, Utah Co, UT

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early April 2011, sideblotch liz (Uta stansburiana), adult female, SE Oquirrh Mtns, Utah Co, UT

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early May 2011, great basin collared liz (Crotaphytus bicintores), female, W Simpson Mtns, Tooele Co, UT

This small female is speckled with dried dirt.  I saw 6 more of this species as I walked up a canyon–mostly adult males.

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mid May 2011, desert horned liz (Phrynosoma platyrhinos), adult male in sagebrush (a), South House Range, Millard Co, UT

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Different shot of specimen above:

mid May 2011, desert horned liz (Phrynosoma platyrhinos), adult male in sagebrush (b), unobscured, South House Range, Millard Co, UT

This guy taught me that you can occasionally find desert horned lizards living up at 7,000 ft elevation–the highest I’ve found one.

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mid May 2011, great basin collared liz (Crotaphytus bicintores), male, South House Range, Millard Co, UT

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Different shot of specimen above:

mid May 2011, habitat of great basin collared liz (Crotaphytus bicintores), male, South House Range, Millard Co, UT

See him?

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mid May 2011, sideblotch liz (Uta stansburiana), subadult, South House Range, Millard Co, UT

This one leans toward looking like a female, but it’s too young for me to be certain.

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late May 2011, great basin collared liz (Crotaphytus bicintores), chilly neonate (a), Confusion Range foothills, Millard Co, UT

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Different shot of specimen above:

late May 2011, great basin collared liz (Crotaphytus bicintores), chilly neonate (b), Confusion Range foothills, Millard Co, UT

This baby collared lizard was trying to absorb the sun’s warmth at 830am in the morning when the air temperature was only 53F.  The bluish-gray plant behind it is Eriogonum shockleyi, and behind that with the yellow flowers is the aster, Enceliopsis nudicaulis.

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mid June 2011, desert horned liz (Phrynosoma platyrhinos), subadult, facing, Fish Springs Range foothills, Juab Co, UT

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mid June 2011, habitat of desert horned liz (Phrynosoma platyrhinos) subadult, Fish Springs Range foothills, Juab Co, UT

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mid June 2011, great basin collared liz (Crotaphytus bicintores), small adult male (a), Fish Springs Range, Juab Co, UT

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Different shot of specimen above:

mid June 2011, great basin collared liz (Crotaphytus bicintores), small adult male (b), Fish Springs Range, Juab Co, UT

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mid June 2011, desert horned liz (Phrynosoma platyrhinos), adult male on boulder (a), Fish Springs Range foothills, Juab Co, UT

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Different shot of specimen above:

mid June 2011, desert horned liz (Phrynosoma platyrhinos), adult male on boulder (b), Fish Springs Range foothills, Juab Co, UT

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mid June 2011, desert horned liz (Phrynosoma platyrhinos), another adult on a different boulder (a), Fish Springs Range foothills, Juab Co, UT

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Different shot of specimen above:

mid June 2011, desert horned liz (Phrynosoma platyrhinos), another adult on a different boulder (b), Fish Springs Range foothills, Juab Co, UT

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mid June 2011, great basin collared liz (Crotaphytus bicintores), small adult male (a), foothills of Fish Springs Range, Juab Co, UT

See him?

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Different shot of specimen above:

mid June 2011, great basin collared liz (Crotaphytus bicintores), adult male (b), foothills of Fish Springs Range, Juab Co, UT

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early Aug 2011, western fence liz (Sceloporus occidentalis), adult male, W Oquirrh Mtns, Tooele Co, UT

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early Sept 2011, sagebrush liz (Sceloporus graciosus), small adult male, W Oquirrh Mtns, Tooele Co, UT

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