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(Cnemidophorus tigris)
Identification: Body long and slender; upper side with small granular scales; belly with larger rectangular scales, unmarked or with black marks on the front edge of some; upper side with light stripes; dark fields between light stripes interrupted by light areas, or dark fields broken into separate bars or spots; large individuals gray around the shoulders and tan near the hind limbs; scales along front edge of fold of skin across throat not conspicuously enlarged; throat may be pinkish or orangish in adults; maximum size about 31 cm (12.2 inches) total length and 10.4 cm (4.1 inches) snout-vent length.
Hatchling: skin dark
brown-black, with four sharply defined stripes on the back (there also may be
one or two stripes on the sides); tail bright blue; color pattern more sharply
defined than in adults.
Colorado Distribution:
Throughout most of western Colorado
at elevations below 6,000 feet. Common in most areas, highly localized north of
Garfield County.
Habitat:
Nearly all lowland habitats in
river valleys; ranges from canyon bottoms to adjacent low mesa tops; often in
openly spaced stands of shrubs (e.g., greasewood, sagebrush, rabbitbrush) or
piņon pine and juniper on friable soils, also in areas along rivers with patchy
shrubs and scattered cottonwood trees. Most activity takes place on the ground,
but individuals sometimes climb the trunks of cottonwood trees. Takes shelter in
in rodent burrows (especially in winter) or self-dug
burrows.
Life History:
Females produce one clutch of eggs,
most often in June. Hatchlings begin to emerge in early August.
Note: The scientific name of this lizard was recently changed to Aspidoscelis
tigris.