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Home »» Lizards »» Crotaphytidae (Collared & Leopard Lizards) »» Cope's Leopard Lizard (Gambelia copeii)


Cope's Leopard Lizard (Gambelia copeii)Species of Least Concern





Description: Gambelia copeii is between 3.1 and 5.5 inches in snout-to-vent length (SVL), and has a smoky gray color and darker gray or black dorsal spots, edged in a lighter shade. The dorsal pattern appears mottled or ocellated. There are light crossbars on the dorsum, and light gray or white on the venter. It has small granular scales. The large head is distinct from the neck, and the lining of the mouth and throat is purplish-black. Juvenile lizards are similar to adults, but have more distinct banding across the dorsum. Females develop red-orange blotches on the ventral side during breeding season. Males have femoral pores.


Habitat: In Baja California, this lizard is particularly common on sparsely vegetated aeolian flats of the Vizcaíno Peninsula, where it can be observed basking on roadside rocks, on berms adjacent to graded dirt roads, or moving about in open spaces among clumps of vegetation; it also occurs elsewhere in Baja California in arroyo (dry creek) bottoms, bajadas, open sandy flats, creosote bush scrub habitats, coastal sage scrub, and oak woodland habitats. Apparently the species occurs in relatively densely vegetated chaparral in southern California (McGuire 1996). It is similar to other Gambelia in seeking shelter at the base of a shrub and remaining motionless there


Range: The species is endemic to Baja California and adjacent southern California.


Found in these States: CA


Diet: feed upon a variety of insects, seeds, and flowers as well as on small mammals and other lizards.


Reproduction: Mates from April to July. Eggs are probably laid in the Summer.


Status: Listed as Least Concern in view of its wide distribution, presumed large population, and because it is unlikely to be declining fast enough to qualify for listing in a more threatened category.


Subspecies: None


Taxonomy:

»» Kingdom: Animalia - Animals
   »» Phylum: Chordata - Chordates
     »» Subphylum: Vertebrata - Vertebrates
       »» Class: Reptilia - Reptiles
         »» Order: Squamata - Lizards
           »» Family: Crotaphytidae - Collarded & Leopard Lizards
             »» Genus: Gambelia
               »» Species: Gambelia copeii - Cope's Leopard Lizard

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Cope's Leopard Lizard", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0. Content may have been omitted from the original, but no content has been changed or extended.

 

 

 

 


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Disclaimer: ITIS taxonomy is based on the latest scientific consensus available, and is provided as a general reference source for interested parties. However, it is not a legal authority for statutory or regulatory purposes. While every effort has been made to provide the most reliable and up-to-date information available, ultimate legal requirements with respect to species are contained in provisions of treaties to which the United States is a party, wildlife statutes, regulations, and any applicable notices that have been published in the Federal Register. For further information on U.S. legal requirements with respect to protected taxa, please contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

 
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