Granite Spiny Lizard

Fascinating facts about the Granite Spiny Lizard

• The name orcutti honors naturalist Charles Russell Orcutt, who collected the type specimen in San Diego County, linking the lizard’s identity to a specific human story.
• Adults measure just 7.6–10.8 cm from snout to vent, yet the longest recorded individual reaches 28.9 cm total length when the tail is included, showing how a modest body can sport a surprisingly long tail for balance on sheer rocks.
• Males flash bright yellow-green and blue-centered scales, plus deep-blue patches on their chest and throat, while females and juveniles wear yellow-tan bands across their bodies and tails, turning the species into a living lesson in sexual dimorphism.
• These lizards are often seen perched atop boulders on rocky hillsides, a behavior that makes them visible from far away.
• Reproducing by laying eggs, the granite spiny lizard is oviparous.

At a glance

About the Granite Spiny Lizard

The granite spiny lizard, Sceloporus orcutti, measures 7.6–10.8 cm from snout to vent, with a maximum total length of 28.9 cm including the tail. It has strongly keeled, pointed dorsal scales, a wide purple mid-dorsal stripe, and males have yellow-green and blue-centered scales, deep-blue ventral patches on the chest and throat, and femoral pores. Females and juveniles have yellow-tan transverse bands on the body and tail. The species is often observed perched atop boulders and is associated with rocky hillsides and outcrops in extreme southern California and Baja California.

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