Arizona Night Lizard (Xantusia arizonae)
Description: The species grows to maximum size of about 10 cm. The head is covered with large, smooth plates. Body scales are small, while belly scales are rectangular. The dorsal side is covered with many small dark spots tending to form rows. The eyes are large and round with a vertical pupil (similar to a snake's eye). The species is a secretive lizard. It feeds, reproduces, and lives most of its life in seclusion. Populations of night lizards at low elevations become active in the spring and through the summer, while higher elevation populations may not become active until late spring. Daily activity patterns are difficult to determine due to their secretive behavior. Some of the night lizard's predators include larger lizards, many snakes, and birds.
Habitat: This species is found under exfoliating rock in granite outcrops. This inhabitant of rugged, rocky slopes and boulder fields within desertscrub and Interior Chaparral communities is primarily a crevice-dweller but it occasionally seeks shelter in and under plant debris such as dead yucca and prickly pear.
Range: The lizard's range extends across west-central Arizona. The habitat extends from the Arizona Upland Sonoran Desert scrub to the Interior Chaparral.
Found in these States:
AZ
Diet: The diet consists primarily of ants, termites, flies, beetles, spiders, among other insects.
Reproduction: Ovovivparous . The young of the lizard are born live, usually one or two around August or September.
Status: As of 2009: Restricted to a small area in Arizona; trends are undocumented; better information is needed on the current conservation status of this species.
»» Kingdom: Animalia - Animals
»» Phylum: Chordata - Chordates
»» Subphylum: Vertebrata - Vertebrates
»» Class: Reptilia - Reptiles
»» Order: Squamata - Lizards
»» Family: Xantusiidae - Night Lizards
»» Genus: Xantusia
»» Species: Xantusia arizonae - Arizona Night Lizard
This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Arizona Night 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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