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San Diego Alligator Lizard
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- Order: Squamata (scaled reptiles)
- Suborder: Lacertilia (=Sauria) (lizards)
- Family: Anguidae (alligator and legless
lizards)
- Genus: Elgaria (western alligator
lizards)
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Scientific Name: Elgaria
multicarinata webbi (Baird, 1858) |
Habitat: Grasslands to
open woodlands where ample shelter is available. |
Elgaria=perhaps an adaptation of
"alligator," multi="many," carinata="keeled,"
webbi in honor of Dr. Thomas H. Webb who collected the type
specimen
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Length: To almost 17 inches
total, most of which is tail. |
Former Scientific Name:
Gerrhonotus multicarinatus webbi |
Food: Just about
anything it can swallow! |
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I found numerous alligator lizards under boards
and discarded tin sheets in valleys near Carlsbad and Riverside in
January 2004. Expelled fecal matter (the lizard's, not
mine!) can be seen in this picture near the lizard's hind
foot--upon capture, most of the alligator lizards I encountered
discharged the contents of their bowels as a defensive tactic, and
maneuvered in an attempt to smear it all over my hands. Some
were successful! |
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This is a closeup of one of the
lizards' heads. Some specimens are large enough to inflict a
painful bite. |
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