Description: The Mojave fringe-toed lizard is a flat-bodied lizard with smooth skin. The color of its skin resembles the environment it inhabits, ranging from a tannish white to a grayish white, and likely contains small black spots along its back. On its underside, there are up to three crescent-shaped throat markings which are characteristic of the Mojave fringe-toed lizard. Also characteristic of this species are the dark bands on its tail and dark blotches on the sides of its belly. During breeding season, the dark spots on its belly-sides turn pink, and its underside turns pale-yellow. The length of this lizard's tail matches the length of its body, with the whole organism reaching lengths of around 7 inches long.
Habitat: This lizard is restricted to sparsely vegetated windblown sand of dunes, flats, riverbanks, and washes; it requires fine, loose sand for burrowing; vegetation is usually scant, consisting of creosote bush or other scrubby growth.
Range: The Mojave fringe-toed lizard's range extends from Inyo County, Los Angeles County, Riverside County, and San Bernardino County in California to western Arizona in La Paz County. Most are restricted to areas which have fine sand, dry lake beds, desert washes, and hillsides. The elevational range of their habitat is from sea level up to 3000 ft.
Diet: The lizard primarily feeds on invertebrates which live near the surface such as ants, beetles, scorpions, hemipterans, spiders, antlion larvae, and grasshoppers. They are also seen to eat plant matter such as seeds, leaves, flowers, and grasses. As annual plants become less common during the summer months, their diet shifts from primarily herbivorous to insectivorous. Occasionally, they have been observed to eat smaller lizards of different species as well as smaller conspecifics. During mating season, there are differences of behavior in regards to eating. Males have been observed to eat plants and insects during the morning only, while females and juveniles have been observed to eat these at all points in the day.
Reproduction: The Mojave fringe-toed lizard reaches sexual maturity during its second year, and its mating season is around late spring. The amount of rainfall influences the breeding capacity of the lizard, and females typically lay 1-5 eggs per mating season with an average of 2 to 3 eggs, hatching in September. There is no seasonal migration in this species. The lizards likely bury their eggs in the sand similar to other lizard species. More young are produced after wet winters, likely due to the abundance of spring annual plants and insects. Eggs are laid in subsurface burrows in sand.
Status: Listed as Least Concern in view of the relatively stable extent of occurrence, area of occupancy, and number of subpopulations. Off-road vehicle use may be causing a decline in population size locally, but this has not been documented and in any case the decline likely is too low to qualify the species for any of the threatened categories.
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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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