| [[Alligator
Lizard]] |
| Other common name(s): Southern alligator lizard, California alligator lizard |
| Scientific Name: Elgaria multicarinata multicarinata ("many-keeled") |
| Size: Body seven inches, total length 12 inches. Largest up to 21 inches (53 cm). |
| Physical Appearance: the body color ranges from pale to medium brown with dark shaded crossbands. It has a flat, wedge-shaped head; body width same as head; small, thin legs with five fine toes; lateral folds running along lower sides nearly of equal length of their body that disappear when breathing deeply; large, slightly keeled scales in shingles formation. Their appearance is nearly similar to an alligator; hense the name. They have prehensile tails which they use as support, or to hang onto branches. |
| Habitat: Coastal oak woodland, chaparral, grasslands, moist canyon bottoms. Live near rivers and streams, hide in tight, hard to reach places such as waterfalls, undergrowth and rocky areas. It is found in the Suisun Marsh because it likes dry, open grasslands with water nearby. |
| Diet: Insectivores Main food source: Arthropods, slugs and snails, insects and spiders, occasionally eggs, small lizards and mammals. May climb bushes and trees in search of eggs and chicks. |
| Behavior: Solitary
animals, meet up together only to mate and easily startled. Can
disconnect their tales when caught by predator or deliver painful
bites to the captor while thrashing around. Shead their skin in
one piece like that of a snake. |
| Reproduction: Oviparous egg layers, laying 1-3 clutches of 5-20 eggs in May - July. Females guard the eggs. |
This website created by J.R. at Fairfield High, Room A25 Multimedia,
Period 1
Photo from California Academy of Sciences Herpetology Collection by Jens
V. Vindum. http://elib.cs.berkeley.educgi/img_query?seq_num=982&one=T
References:
Melissa Kaplan's Herp Care Collection http://www.anapside.org/gerrhont.html
Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture http://www.washington.edu/burkemuseum/herp/elgariam.htm
Yahooligans! Animals http://www.yahooligans.com/content/animals/species/4320.html
San Diego Natural History Museum http://www.sdnhm.org/fieldguide/herps/elga-mul.html