Greater Earless Lizard

Fascinating facts about the Greater Earless Lizard

• Males can grow up to 18.1 cm long while females top out at about 14.3 cm, making the greater earless lizard the largest of its earless cousins. Males also flash bright pink, orange or red on the front half of their bodies and vivid green, aqua-green or lime-green on the rear, especially during breeding, whereas females either lack the bold black side bars or display only faint versions.
• A typical greater earless lizard lives only three years, yet some individuals have been recorded surviving five breeding seasons in the wild. Females can lay up to four clutches a year, each containing between two and nine eggs (averaging three to five), and larger, older females produce the biggest clutches. Eggs incubate for about 50 days before hatching, and the newborns emerge from June to October at a snout-vent length of roughly 20-31 mm.
• In a Mohave County study, insects made up 85 % of the lizard's diet, with orthopterans (crickets, grasshoppers) accounting for 18.2 %, hymenopterans (ants, bees) 15.8 %, lepidopterans (butterflies, moths) 10.1 %, dipterans (flies) 9.2 %, coleopterans (beetles) 9.2 % and hemipterans (true bugs) 8.4 %. Spiders added another 7.9 % and occasional small lizards were also taken. This broad insect diet shows the species is a true generalist.
• The lizard's skin often mirrors the colour of the rocks and sand it lives on, specimens from Llano County, Texas are a rusty brown that matches the red granite of the Llano Uplift. This camouflage, combined with a rapid dash and sudden freeze, lets them disappear into the background and avoid predators. By blending perfectly with local substrates, individuals can stay hidden, illustrating how evolution tailors appearance to micro-habitat for survival.
• When threatened, greater earless lizards can sprint on two legs, a brief bipedal burst, and curl their striped tail over their back, a move that cuts running speed by 32 % if the tail is lost. They also dig burrows up to 15.3 cm (6 in) deep in loose sand or partially bury in gravel when sand is scarce. Their active body temperature ranges from 37 °C to 41 °C (99 °F, 106 °F), allowing them to stay fast and alert in the scorching desert heat. These behaviours together balance escape speed with a safe fallback when predators attack.

Sources

Every fact above was checked against these pages, and kept only where one of them states it.

• Wikipedia

At a glance

About the Greater Earless Lizard

In the scorching expanse of the desert, the Greater Earless Lizard emerges as a master of evasion, its mottled brown skin blending seamlessly with the rocky terrain as it darts with lightning speed, seeking refuge from the blistering sun. With each swift movement, its long, slender tail acts as a counterbalance, allowing the lizard to make sharp, agile turns in pursuit of unsuspecting insects. As it navigates this arid landscape, the Greater Earless Lizard embodies the very essence of adaptability, its remarkable ability to thrive in such a harsh environment a testament to its enduring resilience.

More reptiles to discover

Browse Feravox