Click on pictures to enlarge
(Urosaurus ornatus)
Identification: Upper side with dark crossbars; scales of at least two distinct sizes along middle of back; fold of skin across throat; at least one scale on top of head and behind eyes obviously larger than scales on middle of back; snout-vent length up to at least 55 mm (2.2 inches).
| Mature male: Two enlarged scales on underside of base of tail just behind vent; underside of base of tail with two bulges (from hemipenes); amber, light green, blue, or blue-green patch on each side of belly (usually blue-green); color of belly patches may change with temperature; throat orange, orange-green, orange-blue, green, blue-green, or blue, rarely yellow. |
|
 |
Mature female: Blue belly patches faint or absent; throat yellow-green, yellowish,
or ochre.
Colorado Distribution:
Throughout much of western Colorado
at elevations of up to at least 6,500 feet in the north and 8,000 feet in the
south.
Habitat:
Cliffs,
canyon walls, steep exposures of bedrock, talus slopes with large boulders, and
other areas strewn with huge rocks. Piņon pine, juniper, and various shrubs
generally are present. Despite their common name, in Colorado these lizards most
often perch on steeply sloped expanses of rock. In some areas, usually in
canyons or riparian zones, tree lizards do frequently perch on the trunks of
trees, often junipers or cottonwoods. Sometimes they frequent piles of
flood-deposited logs along rivers. These agile lizards easily run up or down
vertical rock or wood surfaces. They seek shelter in crevices or under rocks.
Life History:
Females apparently produce 1-2
clutches of eggs between late May and mid-July (but further data are needed).
Hatchlings first appear in August.
