Spiny Lizard

The Spiny Lizard is classified as Least Concern. Does not qualify for a more at risk category. Widespread and abundant taxa are included in this category.

A spiny lizard at the Houston Zoo The spiny lizards are the genus Sceloporus in the family Phrynosomatidae. This genus includes some of the most commonly seen lizards in the United States. More

Desert Spiny Lizards (Sceloporus magister) are very common around Tucson in areas with some natural vegetation. More

spiny lizard is the biggest of the bunch, growing up to 14 inches or more, including the tail. Some blue spiny lizards are bluer than others. All have blue shoulders; beyond that, females are usually fairly drab in color. More

spiny lizards have keeled, pointed, rough scales. Clark's spiny lizardTwo species occur in the desert around Tucson, the Desert Spiny (S. magister) and the Clark's Spiny (S. clarkii). The Clark's Spiny has dark bands on its wrist whereas the Desert Spiny does not. More

Mountain spiny lizards are found in mountainous areas at elevations between 5,000 and 10,000 ft (1,520 and 3,050 m). They prefer rocky, well-forested areas. More

The Green Spiny Lizard somewhat describes itself. The small reptile’s stocky body is armored in small spiny scales, but the blunt-nosed head has smooth scales. More

Desert Spiny Lizard on Willow Tree (Corn Creek). General Description: A large, stocky lizard with large, spiny scales and crossbars on the back. While most are smaller, I've seen them with bodies the size of chipmunks at the top of the Sheep Range. More

Granite Spiny Lizard close-up of scales Granite Spiny Lizard close-up of belly Juvenile Riverside County More

Like many other lizards, spiny lizards exhibit metachromatism, which is color change as a function of temperature. When it is cooler, colors are much darker than when the temperature is high. More

The Texas Spiny Lizard (Sceloporus olivaceus) is a fairly common resident of most of Texas; its range also extends northward into Oklahoma and southward well into Mexico. More

The Granite Spiny Lizard is its own species of LIzard, and ranges between 7 and 10 inches long. It is distinguished by strongly keeled dorsal scales that are very pointed on both body and tail. More

In the fall of 2002 I discovered a male Texas spiny lizard on my house, and I've recently (spring 2003) seen both sharing the basking spot. My friend also found a juvenile in my backyard, so the lizards are apparently thriving around the neighborhood. More

The Clark's spiny lizard is named for John H. Clark, who collected the first specimen known to science during an expedition to survey the US-Mexico boundary in 1851. More

Called spiny lizards because of their large, pointed scales, the spines may deter some predators. The tail can break off as an escape mechanism. INTERPRETIVE INFORMATION:: The genus Sceloporus species are known as the "blue bellies. More

DIET: Yarrow's Spiny lizard sits and waits for prey to wander within close proximity. It feeds on a variety of insects including beetles, grasshoppers, ants, wasps, and caterpillars. It also feeds on a variety of spiders. More

DISTRIBUTION: The Desert Spiny Lizard ranges across the deserts of southwestern Arizona and the northeastern plateaus at elevations ranging from near sea level along the Colorado River to about about 5,000'. More

thumbnailYellow-backed Spiny LizardSceloporus uniformisZion NP, UT98083101P thumbnailFlorida Scrub LizardSceloporus woodiOcala NF, Lake Co., FL04030126PD thumbnailFlorida Scrub LizardSceloporus woodiOcala NF, Lake Co., FL04030132PD thumbnailFlorida Scrub LizardSceloporus woodiMartin Co., FL04041602PD thumbnailCoachella Fringe-toed LizardUma inornataRiverside Co. More

Other name: Spiny Lizard, Green Lizard, Scorpion Lizard, Emerald Swift Scientific name: Sceloporus malachiticus Range/Habitat: Green Spiny Lizards are found in Southern Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Panama). More

At least 8 species of Spiny Lizards are present in Arizona, but so far in our area we have only encountered two: Clark's Spiny Lizard and the Desert Spiny Lizard. Both these species have a coloring of dark wedges on the shoulder. More

Spiny lizards are usually grey or brown and all have keeled, pointed, overlapping scales. These lizards are from 3 1/4 to 5 1/2 inches in length. The tail is longer than the body. More

The Texas Spiny Lizard is a beautiful and not uncommon lizard in the dryer regions of southern North America here i will show you how to care for this awesome reptile! edit Steps - 1. More

The first spiny lizard pictured here was one of the most colorful S. magister I've ever seen. Unfortunately, it got spooked and ran into a crevice after a couple of long-distance photos. More

Desert Spiny Lizard (male) in the WildAdded to Quicklist3:44Desert Spiny Lizard (male) in the Wild1,872 viewswaywardmuse Granite Spiny Lizard EatingAdded to Quicklist1:00Granite Spiny Lizard Eating2,211 viewsprosavage2600 Dhub or Dhab (spiny tailed lizard)Added to Quicklist0:18Dhub or Dhab (spiny tailed lizard)3,623 viewssparaz More

Common names

Lagartija-escamosa espinosa in Spanish - español
Spiny Lizard in English - English