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(Uta stansburiana)
Identification: Upper side of uniform color or with numerous small light and dark dots; scales along middle of back of uniform size; dark blotch on each side of chest (a large blue-black streak is present in some males); throat often with blue with orange rim (colors less intense in late summer); at least one scale on top of head and behind eyes obviously larger than scales on middle of back; adult snout-vent length usually about 4.5–5.2 cm (1.8-2.0 inches); a large percentage of adults have broken or regenerated tails.
| Mature male: Two enlarged scales on underside of base of tail just behind vent; underside of base of tail with two bulges (from hemipenes); upper side with light spots and turquoise or blue dots. |  |
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Mature female: Upper side with dark spots.
Colorado Distribution:
Throughout much of lowland western
Colorado. Common and most widespread in west-central Colorado, locally common
elsewhere.
Habitat:
Washes, arroyos, boulder-strewn
ravines, rocky canyon slopes, bedrock exposures, rimrock outcroppings, rocky
cliff bases, and flat, shrubby areas in canyon bottoms where soils are soft and
deep; mainly in the bottoms or mouths of canyons in areas of open piñon-juniper
woodland, semidesert shrubland, or patchy streamside vegetation, usually where
there is plenty of bare ground. When disturbed, often seeks cover in crevices or
under plants or rocks. Wintering sites include burrows, deep crevices, or other
underground cavities.
Life History:
Females produce one or more clutches
of eggs each year, from mid-April through July. Most hatchlings appear in late
July and August. Most adults do not survive another year.