Baja California collared lizard
species of reptile
The Baja California collared lizard or Baja black-collared lizard (Crotaphytus vestigium) is a species of lizard in the family Crotaphytidae. The species is endemic to southern California (United States) and Baja California (Mexico).
Description
The Baja California collared lizard is a large-bodied species of lizard with a broad head, short snout, granular scales, and two distinct black collar markings. The collar markings are separated at the dorsal midline by more than 12 pale scales. It is tan to olive-colored with broad dark crossbands on its body. Adults are between 6.9 and 11.2 cm (2.7 and 4.4 in) long (snout–vent length). Young lizards look similar to adults, but with more distinct banding. The males of this species have enlarged postanal scales, a blue-grey throat, and large dark blotches on their flanks.
Behavior
C. vestigium is a powerful bipedal runner. Adults can inflict a painful bite.
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This entry incorporates text from “Baja California collared lizard” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.