Graphic Spiny Lizard (Sceloporus grammicus) lives in dry forests across Central America, Mexico. It feeds on insects and spiders. Its conservation status is Least Concern.
Fascinating facts about the Graphic Spiny Lizard
- The graphic spiny lizard gives birth to live young instead of laying eggs, a reproductive mode known as viviparity. Each litter can contain anywhere from two to twelve offspring, allowing the species to produce a modest number of young at a time. Females reach sexual maturity when their snout-vent length measures between 34 and 74 mm, after which they are capable of reproducing.
- Male graphic spiny lizards are distinguished by vivid blue patches on their throat and sides of the belly, often edged with black, as well as black mottling on the throat and a dark line on each shoulder. These colourations are absent in females, which lack the blue and black markings entirely. The striking male pattern is described as a key difference between the sexes, making it easy to tell them apart in the field.
- Adult graphic spiny lizards range in total length from 10 to 17.5 cm, with the tail extending slightly beyond the combined length of the head and body. Their dorsum is mottled olive or grey with three to six dark crossbars, and the forelegs and tail have narrow crossbars.
- The graphic spiny lizard occurs in Texas and the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Durango, Zacatecas, Coahuila, San Luis Potosí, Nuevo León, Tamaulipas, Oaxaca, Guerrero, Querétaro and Aguascalientes.
Sources
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At a glance
RangeCentral America, Mexico
HabitatDry forests
DietInsects and spiders
About the Graphic Spiny Lizard
In the sun-baked landscapes of its native habitats, the Graphic Spiny Lizard navigates a world of rocky outcrops and scrubby vegetation with a nimble, darting gait, its vibrant coloration flashing like a beacon as it pursues insect prey with lightning-quick reflexes. As it moves, the intricate patterns on its back seem to shimmer and dance, a dazzling display of evolutionary artistry that serves as both camouflage and courtship signal. With its spiky scales glinting like miniature jewels, this diminutive lizard is a tiny, triumphant monarch of the desert realm.
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