Hobbies And Interests
Small and Scaly
The sagebrush lizard is no Komodo dragon, growing to a maximum length of 6 inches as an adult. It has an abundance of scales to help protect its body and comes in the colors of brown, gray and olive. Females have a white or yellow body, while males have hints of blue on the body and sometimes the throat as well. Because they are small, it is their coloring that helps them hide in the sagebrush to avoid predators such as mammals, birds and snakes.
Its Home
The sagebrush lizard prefers the sagebrush, but sometimes any desert brush will do just fine. They do prefer higher elevations consistently, however. Sagebrush lizards are also commonly found in juniper pinelands, often hiding in the underbrush to keep a low profile. Like all lizards, they are cold-blooded and in the early morning, you might catch one sunning on the rocks. They range throughout the western states to include Idaho, California, Arizona, Oregon, Colorado, Montana and New Mexico.
Insects Beware
One way to keep insects out of your garden is to get a few sagebrush lizards to do the task. Sagebrush lizards spent much of their day scurrying about in the underbrush looking for just about any insect they can find. Its menu consists of ticks, beetles, ants, flies, caterpillars, mites, spiders and just about any other insect it can get its tongue on. A research study conducted by Idaho State University found that while it will eat almost any insect, the sagebrush lizard primarily prefers ants.
Forget the Bravery
The sagebrush lizard isn't one for bravery. When you approach, it will quickly scurry off to the safety of the sagebrush, underneath rocks or into ground burrows, opting for the quickest escape route. The best time to catch a glimpse of a sagebrush lizard is during the day. It spends its day eating and sunning itself, and usually finds a burrow of another animal to sleep in at night. In the winter, don't expect to find one scurrying about; instead a sagebrush lizard will hibernate to wait out the cold.