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(Phrynosoma modestum)
Identification: Back of head with four enlarged spines of about equal length; tail cylindrical and banded; sides of body between front legs and hind legs lack a fringe of enlarged scales; upper side grayish, brownish, yellowish, reddish, or bluish (hue often matches soil color), with dark blotch on each side of neck and on body just in front of each hind leg (patterning may change with temperature); maximum snout-vent length about 6.6 cm (2.6 inches) in males, 7.1 cm (2.8 inches) in females. This lizard’s unusual color pattern and behavior, including a humpbacked posture when immobile, cause it to strongly resemble a small stone.
Mature male: underside of
base of tail with two bulges (from hemipenes).
Colorado Distribution:
Known from only a few locations in
southeastern Colorado.
Habitat: Dry grassland and shrubland, including
lowland slopes and arroyo margins and gravelly to rocky soils.
Life History:
Females produce a clutch of eggs in
June-July, perhaps as early as late May. Hatchlings probably emerge in late July
or August. Ants generally dominate the diet.