Long-nosed leopard lizard
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (January 2021) |
| Long-nosed leopard lizard | |
|---|---|
| |
| Taken at Mojave Desert | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Iguania |
| Family: | Crotaphytidae |
| Genus: | Gambelia |
| Species: | G. wislizenii
|
| Binomial name | |
| Gambelia wislizenii | |
| Synonyms[2][3] | |
| |
The long-nosed leopard lizard (Gambelia wislizenii) is a species of relatively large North American lizard in the family Crotaphytidae. Gambelia wislizenii ranges in snout-to-vent length (SVL) from 8.3 to 14.6 cm (3+1⁄4 to 5+3⁄4 in). It has a large head, a long nose, and a long round tail that can be longer than its body. It is closely related to the blunt-nosed leopard lizard (Gambelia sila), which closely resembles the long-nosed leopard lizard in body proportions, but has a conspicuously blunt snout. The species G. wislizenii, once considered part of the genus Crotaphytus, is under moderate pressure because of habitat destruction but is categorized as "least concern".[1]
Etymology
The specific name or epithet, wislizenii, is in honor of the German-American surgeon and naturalist Frederick Adolph Wislizenus, who caught the first specimen near Santa Fe, New Mexico.[4][5]
Description
Gambelia wislizenii has granular dorsal scales that can be white, cream, or gray with irregular brown or dark gray spots along its body and head. Sometimes they have dark bars across their back. The tail also has dark bars across it. Juveniles have more highly contrasted markings compared to adults, often with rusty coloring on the back or bright red spots, and yellow on the thighs and under the tail.[citation needed]
The male and female are different in appearance. The female is about 15 cm (5.8 in) snout-vent length, and the male is smaller, measuring about 12 cm (4.8 in) SVL. Both sexes are capable of marked color changes. In its dark phase the lizard's spots are nearly hidden and light crossbars become quite obvious on both the body and the tail. In the light phase the opposite is true with the dominant color consisting of gray, pinkish, brown or yellowish brown hues. During the mating season females develop reddish orange spots and bars on their sides and underneath the tail when gravid. Males develop pink or rusty wash on the throat, chest, and sometimes the body, during the breeding season.[citation needed]
Distribution and habitat
The long-nosed leopard lizard prefers to inhabit arid and semiarid plains growth, like bunch grass, alkali bush, sagebrush, creosote bush, and other scattered low plants. The ground can be hardpan, sand, or even gravel with rocks that may often be used as basking sites. G. wislizenii prefers flat areas with open space for running, avoiding densely vegetated areas. It is found from near sea level to around 6,000 feet (1,800 m). Its range includes the western part of the United States from Oregon to Idaho in the north, south to northern Mexico in Baja California, Sonora, Coahuila, and Zacatecas and Casa Grande, Arizona. In San Diego County, it occurs east of the Peninsula Ranges within the Lower Colorado Desert. It is found in desert flats and lower foothills with little vegetation.[citation needed]
Behaviors
The long-nosed leopard lizard is often seen on small rocks along the roadside, preferring direct sunlight when basking. It is
Feeding habits
The long-nosed leopard lizard preys on small lizards such as Aspidoscelis Costatus, in addition to insects and sometimes rodents, like all members of the family. This lizard also is cannibalistic, eating smaller leopard lizards when the opportunity arises. On occasion, it will eat the young leopard lizards as they hatch, but the adults are usually not active during the time period when most young hatch from their eggs. This allows the young time to grow and become more of a contender with the larger adults. Its long nose usually makes its jaw quicker and better for catching vertebrate prey. This species utilizes stalking and ambush techniques when hunting. As an ambush predator, it lies in wait in the shadows underneath a bush or small tree, where its spotted pattern blends, waiting for its prey to come within capture range. When prey is sufficiently close, it uses a rapid pouncing movement to capture the prey in its strong jaws. The long-nosed leopard lizard has been documented to jump up to two feet (60 cm) in any direction, including into the air, in order to catch prey.[citation needed]
"More than one leopard lizard has been found choked to death by the size of the prey it attempted to swallow."[6]
Some predators of long-nosed leopard lizards include a number of birds, snakes, coyotes, badgers, and the kit fox.[citation needed]
Reproduction
The breeding season of G. wislizenii extends from May to June with a single clutch of 5–6
Conservation status
The blunt-nosed leopard lizard (Gambelia sila) is endangered. It is no longer present throughout most of its former range as the habitat has been significantly altered by farming, urban development, overgrazing, oil wells, mining, reservoirs, and off-road vehicle use. This habitat alteration continues.[7] However, there are no specific conservation concerns for the long-nosed leopard lizard (Gambelia wislizenii ).[8]
References
- ^ . Retrieved 20 November 2021.
- ^ Boulenger GA (1885). Catalogue of the Lizards in the British Museum (Natural History). Second Edition. Volume II ... Iguanidæ ... London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xiii + 497 pp. + Plates I-XIV. (Crotaphytus wislezenii [sic], p. 204).
- ^ "Gambelia wislizenii ". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
- ^ Beltz, Ellin (2006). Scientific and Common Names of the Reptiles and Amphibians of North America – Explained. ebeltz.net/herps/biogappx/html.
- ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Gambelia wislizenii, p. 288).
- ISBN 978-0876662205.
- ^ "Blunt-nosed Leopard Lizard - Gambelia sila ". Retrieved 23 October 2014.
- ^ "Long-nosed Leopard Lizard - Gambelia wislizenii ". Retrieved 23 October 2014.
Further reading
- Baird SF, Girard CF (1852). "Characteristics of some New Reptiles in the Museum of the Smithsonian Institution". Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 6: 68-70. (Crotaphytus wislizenii, new species, p. 69).
- ISBN 0-394-50824-6. (Gambelia wislizenii, pp. 508–509 + Plate 357).
- ISBN 0-395-19977-8(paperback). (Crotaphytus wislizenii, pp. 93–94 + Plate 15 + Map 50).
- Conant R, ISBN 0-395-90452-8(paperback).
- ISBN 0-890-96920-5(paperback).
- ISBN 978-0-544-12997-9. (Gambelia wislizenii, p. 278 + Plate 24).
- ISBN 0-307-47009-1(hardcover). (Gambelia wislizenii, 108-109).
- ISBN 978-0-395-98272-3(paperback). (Gambelia wislizenii, pp. 274–275 + Plate 26 + Map 84).
- Stejneger L, Barbour T(1917). A Check List of North American Amphibians and Reptiles. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. 125 pp. (Crotaphytus wislizenii, p. 46).
- Zim HS, Smith HM (1956). Reptiles and Amphibians: A Guide to Familiar Species: A Golden Nature Guide. New York: Simon and Schuster. 160 pp. (Gambelia wislizenii, pp. 53, 155).
External links
